Price of Freedom
by missbrielle
Summary: Kristoff has been wrongfully imprisoned, and has now spent half a year in the dungeon of the Southern Isles. Prince Hans of the Southern Isles makes him a deal: kill the princess of Arendelle in return for his freedom. Will Kristoff abandon morality for freedom? Frozen AU (Alternate Universe): Takes place before Elsa's coronation. [Elsa x Kristoff]
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome! **

**This story was inspired by some artwork I saw while roaming around Tumblr of an alternate universe Anna and Elsa where Anna was an assassin/spy. I changed it a bit by making Kristoff the assassin. But anyways, I owe the artist a lot for inspiring me with this idea. Hope you enjoy it!**

The guards unlocked the door to let the prince in. Kristoff looked up from his corner, squinting in the light. The Prince of the Southern Isles haughtily smirked down at him.

"Leave us alone," he told the guards, without a backwards glance.

He walked forward and bent down on one knee in front of the prisoner. Although he was now on the same level as Kristoff, he still gave off an air of superiority.

"I have a proposition for you." He carefully drew out the words, testing Kristoff's reaction.

"I don't have anything to do with you," Kristoff mumbled.

"Ah, but you did burn down the barn of a royal."

Kristoff flinched, remembering the incident. He had nowhere to stay during the cold, winter night, and had thought to seek refuge in a barn. He had believed he would be able to leave before daylight, he just needed a place to keep himself warm. However, his plan had been foiled when he knocked a lantern over in his sleep, causing the barn to catch fire. He hadn't even had a chance to explain before the guards threw him in prison.

Now it was May, and had been half a year since he had been imprisoned.

"If you do me this favor, I will grant you your freedom." The prince smirked as he said this.

Kristoff slowly turned from the prince and looked down at the floor. After a minute of thinking, he looked the prince straight in the eye.

"What'll I have to do?"

The prince gave him a half grin, and whispered, "Kill the princess of Arendelle."

Kristoff blinked and retorted, "What makes you think I'll kill an innocent girl?"

"I know people will do anything to guarantee their own freedom," the prince replied.

Kristoff sighed, and hung his head in his hands. To kill a girl, a princess even, seemed preposterous. But he had been locked up unfairly for half a year. Why shouldn't he grasp this chance at freedom?

"Fine," he mumbled, "I'll do it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there again! I'll be hopefully uploading a chapter everyday. The schedule might be a bit off for a few weeks, what with AP tests and all. This is my first fanfiction, so please excuse some highly probable errors. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated. :)**

**Enjoy!**

The Prince led Kristoff through the hallways of the prison, past rows and rows of cells and rooms. Although many housed poorly looking people, the saddest contained a man in his late forties, a woman around the same age with graying hair, and a young lady with striking blue eyes and hair with a strange red-orange color to it. As Kristoff and the prince walked by, the girl stood up and addressed the prince with a fierce hatred that looked out of place on her face.

"Hans, you will pay for this some day. I swear it."

"Anna," the man spoke, while the woman grasped her hand.

"Keep walking," the prince told Kristoff.

Kristoff couldn't resist another glance back at the girl, who was now being embraced by the older woman.

"Who were they?", he asked the prince.

"Simply prisoners from Arendelle," Hans replied, with an all-knowing grin.

* * *

The Prince had shipped Kristoff off in an hour with new clothes, some money, and a knife. He was to board a trade ship from the Southern Isles to Arendelle, a day's journey, at least. He would then spend a month gathering as much information as he could about the princess and her kingdom before killing her. Hans had allowed him a month to carry this out.

Kristoff felt extremely uneasy about this arrangement, but kept reminding himself of the freedom that he would soon have.

As soon as he got off the ship, he asked for directions to the castle.

"Ah, the castle. Straight up there," a man pointed straight ahead to the castle, separated from the town by a bridge. "However, Princess Elsa has had the gates closed for almost six years."

"Why?", Kristoff asked.

"No one's quite sure, but it's believed that she did it out of mourning after the accident." The man's face grew somber.

"Accident?"

"Her parents and sister were off on a business trip to the Southern Isles, when their ship got lost in a storm. It was only a day's journey, no one believed anything would happen."

Kristoff could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into a pit of guilt. Killing a princess was bad enough, but to kill one who had lost her family at such a young age?

He thanked the man, and walked away. Night was beginning to fall, but he didn't feel like seeking shelter. After spending six months in a dark room, he planned to revel in his freedom. Well, not complete freedom. Yet.

He bought a loaf of bread and some carrots, and decided to explore Arendelle's surrounding forests.

It was almost midnight when he decided to stop and rest under a tree near a cliff. Kristoff leaned back against the tree, and looked up at the night sky, slowly closing his eyes.

A hard prodding in the side woke him up an hour later. Kristoff looked to his left and saw a reindeer slowly eating carrots. **His carrots.**

"Hey, what are you doing?", Kristoff snapped. He tried to grab a carrot from the reindeer's mouth, but stopped when it gave him a look that could only be best described as annoyed.

Kristoff stared back at it for a second, and then relinquished the carrot.

"Fine, keep it."

The reindeer appeared to be give him a smug smile, and continued to eat the carrot.

"You're weird."

_-snort-_

"You can stay for this carrot, but after that, you have to go."

Kristoff sat there, arms folded, and waited until the reindeer was done eating.

"Good, you're done, now go."

The reindeer slumped down next to him.

"I'm serious. **Go.**"

It looked up at him with the reindeer variant of "puppy dog eyes".

"Stop. I'm not going to fall for it."

_-blink-_

"...Fine. You can stay. Might as well, I'm all alone."

The reindeer joyfully opened its mouth and moved closer.

"You're lucky I'm not in a bad mood today."

_"Thank you kind sir, even though I ate your carrots and invaded your personal space," _Kristoff spoke in a goofy voice.

_-snort- _

"Hey, you're lucky I even gave you a voice. I'm crazy, I'm talking to a reindeer...that's really just me. I'm talking to myself. I'm doing it now!"

Kristoff slumped back against the tree.

"I might as well just give you a name too. How about Stinky? Thief? Daniel? Alf? Sven?"

At the last name, the reindeer pricked its ears.

"Fine. Sven it is. Goodnight, Sven."

Kristoff placed a hand on Sven's head, and fell asleep.

* * *

**There you go! **

**Chapter 2 is finished. :)**

**While typing this up, I was listening to "When Will My Life Begin?". Whenever I have to type up homework or whatever, I end up listening to that, and "Almost There" on repeat. Am I the only one who does that? I also make it a habit to sing "Part of Your World" in the shower. I'm so weird.**

**Originally, I had planned for Sven to be caught by Hans' guards too, but then released. Then Kristoff would have found him wandering the woods, waiting for him, like Hachi or something. That movie was so sad. My sister would literally watch that every week for about a month, despite the fact that she ended up in tears. I changed the story to this version because I honestly didn't think Hans would let Kristoff go back for his reindeer, or even let Sven go in the first place. **

**Well, that's all for today! I feel like watching Tangled now, for like the 68927493th time (not really, haha). :p **

**Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again!**

**See if you can spot the little shoutout to Tangled. :)**

* * *

In the morning, Kristoff ventured into the town to look for a job.

"I'm gonna need to earn some money to buy us carrots... I'm doing it again. Am I so desperate for contact that I'll resort to talking to a reindeer? Don't answer that."

_-snort-_

"Thanks."

As Kristoff and Sven entered the town, they noticed a commotion near the docks.

"Come on Sven, market's this way."

Sven let out a low groan and pointed his head towards the docks.

"Nope."

Sven snorted and stalked over to Kristoff.

"Hey, what..."

Kristoff was now being picked up by Sven's antlers, and was being carried towards the docks.

"Fine, fine, OKAY!"

Sven grunted satisfactorily and plunked Kristoff down onto the wooden planks.

As they got closer, they could see mounds of flowers being placed on the edge of the dock, some even placed gently in the water.

As Kristoff and Sven stared open-mouthedly, a young girl reached for a flower, stopping only when an older girl grabbed her hand.

"Kirsten, don't touch them. They're for the king and the queen, and the princess' sister."

The younger girl gazed wide-eyed at the flowers, silent and unmoving.

"Princess Elsa might not like it if we touch flowers for her family. Papa," turning to a bearded man, "will she ever leave the castle?"

"I doubt it, Ingrid. She's stayed in there for six years. It would take a miracle to get her to come out."

Kristoff turned to look at the castle. A flash of while disappeared behind the curtains of an upper window, so quickly he believed he had only imagined it.

"Come on Sven," he murmured quietly.

* * *

As night quickly approached, all of the townspeople clamored near the docks.

"Alf, bring the fireworks!"

"Oh no. Come on Sven, we can watch them from the cliff."

_-groan-_

"Let's go."

_-huff-_

Twenty minutes later, Kristoff and Sven neared the cliff's edge.

-pop pop pop-

"Wow. See, I told you it would be better here."

Sven bumped Kristoff in the side with his antlers.

"Ow, what's your problem?"

Sven gave him the reindeer version of a smirk, and stared transfixedly through the leaves of the trees as the fireworks above.

As Kristoff moved forward, he noticed a sliver of white behind the trees. He slowly pushed past the branches and looked out towards the cliff's edge.

A girl stood near the edge of the cliff, white nightgown swaying in the summer night's breeze. What shocked him the most was her hair. Although it seemed to be platinum blonde, the gentle light of the moon created the illusion that it was ethereally white.

She stood with her back facing Kristoff, head tilted towards the sky, evidently also watching the fireworks.

Kristoff stared open-mouthedly at the girl, until Sven walked forward, accidentally snapping a twig in half.

The girl quickly turned back, looking Kristoff in the eye. He noticed that while no tears were visible on her face, her blue eyes contained tinges of red on the whites of her eyes, and tear stains marred her cheeks.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...I'll go...I...umm..."

As Kristoff turned to leave, the girl reached her left hand out to him.

"No, please, I...I mean...you don't have to go."

Her face had instantly turned scarlet, and she slowly pulled her hand back.

"Are...you sure? I mean...I can go..."

"No, it's fine."

She gave him a tine close-lipped grin, and swiped at her face, trying to remove any traces of tears.

Kristoff hesitated until the girl turned back around and settled gracefully onto the floor.

"Stay back," he whispered to Sven, as he slowly joined her near the edge.

He snuck a glance at her, and saw that she bit her lip, as if trying not to cry, while she stared unblinkingly at the sky.

"Are...you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," she repeated, as if to assure herself.

"I'm Kristoff."

"Elsa."

"As in the princess, that Elsa?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Yes," she answered, with a slight smile.

"Your highness, I'm sorry, I really should go now."

"No please, I'm perfectly capable of sharing." She turned to look at him, this time the smile meeting her eyes.

The two sat in silence, staring at the sky for a while, until Kristoff spoke up.

"I'm sorry about your family," he mumbled.

Elsa closed her eyes and seems to shrink in on herself.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," he blurted, and looked down.

"No, it's fine. And thank you, really." She turned to him and didn't say a word until he looked up at her.

"It's been six years. You'd think this wouldn't hurt as much now but..."

Elsa's eyes teared up, but she forced herself to keep going.

"Do you know the story of my family, Kristoff?"

He cautiously shook his head.

Taking in a deep breath, she began her story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Thanks for commenting. :)**

**SavvyMagic: ****1) Yeah, I need to take more time proofreading. o_o **

**2) I've always said pricked, but it might just be a regional thing? Or I might saying it wrong, I've been known to do that unconsciously. :p**

**3) Really? Thank you so much, I thought it was a lot of commas. I think I'm just used to putting commas in quotes since my english teacher was all "You put the commas here!" :p But thank you, I really appreciate the help. :D**

**The fireworks could be a Tangled reference too, but I meant for it to be the flowers for the royal family. In Tangled, a girl is seen leaving flowers near a sort of terra-cotta piece of artwork of the royal family for "the lost princess". But the fireworks work too! :)**

**I love that, oh my god. "They were being kept in hell!" :p Yeah, I really need to proofread. o_o**

**martianfairy ****and ****creater1496: ****Thank you! I write my chapters down before typing them, but my writing is so big that it tends to look shorter when I type it up. :p **

**Once again, thank you. :D I think the moral of this was that i need to learn to proofread. How did I put while and not white?**

* * *

**"**When I was fifteen and my sister was twelve, we were inseparable. She brought out a side of me I didn't even know I had. She was the energetic, social butterfly, while I was the shy and quiet older sister. But we balanced each other out, and loved the other for the qualities the other contained that we wish we had."

"One day, my mother and father informed us that they would be going on a trip to the Southern Isles for trade negotiations. Anna and I begged to be able to go with them."

At the sound of her sister's name, Kristoff found himself remembering the girl in the dungeon with the same name. It had to be a coincidence.

"After days of relentless asking, they finally decided that we were old enough to go with them. My mother and I were interested in the landscape, my father in the horses, and Anna...well, everything." Elsa let out a soft laugh.

The day before we were set to leave, I came down with a fever. Although my family assured me that they would stay with me, I told them to go. Anna stayed with me until the very second it was time to go."

"I walked them out to the docks where the ship was waiting. My father and mother hugged me goodbye, and told me that they would be back soon. Anna almost crushed me in her hug, and started to cry. We had never been apart for more than a couple of hours. I held onto her for as long as I could, and then made her promise not to run into too many people."

"As the ship sailed away, my mother and father smiled lovingly at me, while Anna nearly fell over the side while waving goodbye."

"It was only supposed to take them a day to get there, and they were only going to stay for two weeks. Those two weeks passed by, with no return. Half a week after that, a messenger from the Southern Isles came to Arendelle. He had thought they had delayed their trip, until the ship's wreckage washed ashore. He believed the ship had been lost at sea in a storm."

"I closed the gates, and Mayor Elefsen was elected by the townspeople to take care of Arendelle's affairs until I came of age. I owe him so much for keeping the kingdom in prosperity all these years."

"Every year for six years, the town has set off fireworks on the day my family left Arendelle, in memoriam. I always come here to watch them...alone. And every year, I think about how I never told them...how much I love them."

Elsa started to cry in quiet, gasping sobs. She tucked her knees into her chest and laid her head down on top of them.

After a moment of hesitation, Kristoff grabbed her hand and held it in one of his own.

Elsa's hand twitched, but then relaxed after a second. She looked up, and saw Kristoff's warm eyes staring into her own tear-filled ones.

"They knew you loved them," said Kristoff.

Elsa sniffled, and asked "How do you know?"

"A gut feeling. Plus, I can tell that they really loved you too."

Biting her lip, Elsa squeezed Kristoff's hand gently. "Thank you."

They sat like that until the fireworks ended. After the final blast, Elsa gently pulled her hand from his.

"I should go back. If they find that I'm gone...thank you. Again."

With a shy smile, Elsa turned and started to walk into the forest.

"Wait! Will you be okay?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa turned back to him, her right hand cradling her left.

"I'll be fine. I know these woods like the back of my hand. But thank you. Goodnight, Kristoff."

And with that, she walked lightly into the forest, in the direction of the castle.

"Goodnight, Elsa."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there! **

**I'm really excited to be typing this part of the story. We get to learn more about Elsa through Kristoff's eyes, and even through Elsa herself. :)**

**Steefwaterbutter: Thank you! :) I was a bit hesitant when first publishing this because I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted this story to end up. As for Elsa telling Kristoff her story, I felt like after isolating herself for so long, she would try to grab onto any outside contact she could interact with. Also, I wanted to show how she instantly feels comfortable enough with this lonely stranger to tell him these things. She probably also feels the need to tell someone after six years of keeping it inside. She "let it go"? **:) **Also, I love your username. Care to share how you came up with it? :)**

**Here's Chapter 5!**

* * *

A few days later, Kristoff and Sven were exploring a new region of the forest in the deepening twilight.

"Woah, watch out buddy," Kristoff cautioned to Sven.

The pair had reached a hill, overlooking a river running between the trees.

As Kristoff marveled at the river, Sven whined and turned to his left.

"What is it, Sven?"

Kristoff turned to look, and saw Elsa appear from the trees, walking close to the river.

He was about to call out to her, when he heard her singing.

_"Do you want to build a snowman?" _

He sat down and strained to hear every word.

_"Come on let's go and play. I never see you anymore, I miss you more and more everyday."_

Elsa sat down and leaned against a tree, making graceful motions with her hand. Suddenly, snow started to fall.

"Woah, what..." Kristoff whispered.

_"I wish we were all together, like days before. What am I gonna do?"_

Tears started to slowly fall down her face.

_"Anna, do you wanna build a snowman?" _

With a wave of her hand, so quickly that Kristoff almost believed he had imagined it, a snowman formed in front of her. It wasn't a standard snowman, but oddly shaped. Somehow, this gave it an extra charm.

Elsa stood up and softly touched the snowman on its head as she walked by it, into another region of the forest.

Kristoff and Sven gaped at the snowman.

What had they just witnessed?

* * *

Kristoff couldn't sleep. The snow, the snowman, had it been...her? He hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings, so he hadn't noticed that the snow had been concentrated in one area until after Elsa had left.

But...how?

Kristoff sighed and turned over, leaning against Sven's side. Sleeping in the quiet forest next to a warn reindeer was much more comfortable than sleeping on a dungeon floor.

Speaking of dungeons, that girl...Anna? It just had to be a coincidence that she shared the same name as the princess' sister, right? Anna was a pretty common name...he hoped.

With a shiver, Kristoff closed his eyes, but still couldn't sleep.

How was he going to kill someone he was so drawn to?

* * *

"Anna, you're going to be late. Mama and Papa knew this would happen."

"Elsa, I told you, I'm staying here until I absolutely have to go!" Anna plopped her twelve year old self down dramatically onto Elsa's bed.

Elsa groaned, and rolled her eyes. "Anna, you're squishing me."

"No I'm not, you're just too big for this bed."

"Excuse me, are you implying something?"

"Yepp, all that chocolate's gotten to ya, Elsa." Anna smirked, giggling at her sister's frown.

"Do I need to remind you who almost threw up after eating six pieces of chocolate cake?"

"You mean you, right? Because I am a picture of sophisticated graaaace!"

"Mmhmm, sure." Elsa laughed a laugh so full of happiness, it seemed to bubble out of her.

Anna smiled at her sister's laugh. "Admit it, it was you!" Her fingers started tickling Elsa's sides.

"Anna, stop, that's not fair!" Elsa breathlessly laughed, and weakly tried to fend Anna off.

Anna immediately stopped, a look of shock crossing her face. "Elsa, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired."

"Then sleep! Oh, I meant, _-whispered- _then sleep!"

Elsa laughed, "I can't!"

Just then, the King and Queen entered the girls' bedroom.

"Anna, it's time to go. Elsa, sweetheart, are you feeling better?" the Queen asked, resting her hand on Elsa's forehead.

"I'm fine, Mama." Elsa smiled, and closed her eyes at her mother's touch.

The Queen smiled a smile full of gentleness, and moved her hand to Elsa's cheek. Unconsciously, Elsa leaned her face into her mother's hand.

"Anna, your sister needs rest," the King gently chastised. He walked over to Anna and laid a firm, but loving hand on her shoulder.

"She's feeling better. So much better that she argued with me over chocolate cake!" Anna wrapped her arms around her father's waist, holding herself close to him.

The King and Queen both laughed, causing Elsa to open her eyes and to relax in the scene before her.

Suddenly, a horn could be heard blowing from the docks.

"It's time to leave," the King announced.

"I'm coming with you to the docks to see you all off," Elsa exclaimed, as she climbed out of bed.

"Sweetheart, you're sick. We can say our goodbyes here," the Queen reassured her.

"Mama please, I really do feel better."

The King and Queen exchanged a quick glance while Anna bounced up and down, moving her father with every bounce.

"Okay, but you'll take care of yourself and get better while we're gone, do you promise?" her father asked.

"I promise."

* * *

Anna and Elsa walked hand in hand to the docks, Anna dragging Elsa behind her.

"Come on, hurry!" Anna squealed.

At the boat, Elsa gave her parents a lingering hug, knowing that she would go crazy with longing for them.

Both of them hugged her, and kissed her on her forehead.

The Queen held onto her hand until it was time to leave, while the King assured her that she would be fine.

Anna, already teary-eyed, embraced Elsa. Elsa gave her a tight, one-armed hug, as she was still holding onto her mother's hand.

"Elsa, I promise to get you some chocolate."

"Anna, we have chocolate here too."

"Yeah, but it'll be different," she added with a grin.

Elsa gave her a wry smile, and teased, "Don't bump into too many people."

Anna countered by sticking her tongue out, but tears returned instantly.

"See you in two weeks," she whispered, embracing Elsa one last time.

With a final squeeze, the Queen let go of Elsa's hand, and turned to walk with her husband onto the boat. Anna skipped after them, reaching for her mother's hand and clasping it in one of her own.

As the ship set sail, the King and Queen smiled down at Elsa while Anna frantically waved goodbye.

"Elsa! Elsa!"

"What, Anna?"

"Wake up."

* * *

**There you go! This chapter is supposed to make up for the couple of days of non-activity, starting tomorrow. I am absolutely swamped with testing, and I need to get more chapters written so I don't fall behind. :)**

**Tomorrow, if I have time, I'd like to put a list of other fanfics that I recommend to you while I go on a brief hiatus. :) **

**Until next time! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! **

**Sorry for the late update, things have been really hectic lately with testing and the "end of the school year" rush. I'll be changing the updating schedule from daily to once a week, probably Friday until the end of the month. I'm sorry, but I just have so much to prepare for and heaps of homework. I hope you'll all understand. :)**

**The Pianist's Touch:**** Thank you! :)**

**Guest:**** Definitely Kristelsa, or Elsoff. I've heard it both ways. :) But it won't be Kristelsa all the time, because I want to keep the sort of adventurous and dramatic storyline, without completely making it a romance. Have you heard of "Acts of True Love" by hamletlaertes? It's a short, but interesting Kristelsa fanfic. :)**

**Buckerpilot: Thank you! I'll try to update as often as possible, but as it's the last two months of school, I'll be a bit swamped. I will try my best to update every week. **

**SavvyMagic: Hello again! Thank you! I've outlined how the story will go, and trust me, we've still got quite a ways to go. :) As soon as I can, I'll make sure to check it out. :)**

**Once again, thanks for the comments!**

* * *

Elsa woke with a start. After she noticed that she was hyperventilating, she put her left hand on her forehead in an attempt to calm herself down.

As her breathing slowed, she swept sweaty strands of hair away from her face. Once her heartbeat was back to normal, she sat up in bed.

On the right side of the room, opposite from where she sat, Anna's belongings lay untouched, as they had been for six years.

Even looking at her sister's bed sent a wave of despair upon her, and she looked away to her left, out the window.

The dream had first appeared the day Elsa had learned of her family's disappearance, and highly suspected death. It would plague her for weeks at a time, then disappear until she thought it was gone for good. The dream never ceased to frighten her.

Slowly climbing out of bed, she softly touched Anna's bed as she walked past, through her bedroom door.

In the hallway, she slowly walked with the silence of midnight hanging in the air. With her right hand cradling her left hand to her chest, she would have terrified anyone she encountered, due to her extremely tousled hair and wide, empty eyes.

As Elsa reached the west wing of the castle, she could feel a distinct change in temperature. Maybe it was her, unconsciously harnessing her power, or the eeriness emanating from this part of the castle. She had stayed far away from the west wing because it contained the portrait room, Anna's favorite place to play when she wasn't outside, and her parents' bedroom.

She stopped for a second in front of her parents' door, hand on the doorknob, when she stepped back. She wasn't sure if she would be able to walk into that room which still smelt so strongly of her parents without bawling like a baby.

When Elsa finally reached the portrait room, she closed her eyes and quickly opened the doors.

Hesitatingly opening her eyes, she slowly took in the appearance of the room she had last been in with her sister.

* * *

"Elsa, come on! We have to say goodbye to them!"

"Anna, we already said goodbye to Kai and Gerda."

"No, not them, Joan and the rest of them!"

"Anna, they're paintings."

With a gasp, Anna stopped running, almost causing Elsa to crash into her.

"Elsa, shhh! They can hear you! Don't hurt their feelings! Like that one time you told Joan what happens to her? She was devastated." Anna scowled at Elsa and huffed.

Elsa laughed at her sister's expression. One could never take Anna seriously when she looked so comical.

"Now you're laughing at me! Fine, I'll go say goodbye by myself." Anna dramatically stomped away.

"Anna, wait!" Elsa ran after her sister and grabbed her hand. "Okay, I'll apologize to Joan and say goodbye to all of them. Just please don't be mad at me."

Anna's mouth twitched into a smile, and Elsa knew she was forgiven.

"Okay then. Let's go!" And she continued to pull Elsa down the hallway.

When they got to the portrait room, Anna thrust open the doors with more vigor than usual.

"Goodbye everyone! Come on Elsa, Joan first!"

Anna skipped over to where the portrait of Joan of Arc was, while Elsa walked behind. When the two were in front of the painting, Anna cleared her throat.

With quick sideways glance at her sister, Elsa began her apology.

"Joan, I'm sorry I told you that you will be captured and -"

"Elsa!"

"Okay, I'm sorry I told you that. And goodbye. We'll miss you."

With a wide grin, Anna pulled Elsa to each painting to say their goodbyes. After an hour, they reached the last one: a portrait of their family when they were children.

"Anna, do we have to say goodbye to ourselves?" Elsa asked with a grin.

"Yepp. Goodbye to the people we are now. When we come back, we'll be different."

Elsa paused. "Sometimes, you can be very mature."

"Thank you madame," replied Anna with a low bow. However, she had thrown off her balance, causing her to fall forwards onto the floor.

"What?! -" _-thunk-_

Elsa clapped one hand over her mouth as she witnessed her sister literally fall onto her face.

After a moment of silence, Elsa erupted into peals of laughter. Tears streamed down her face as she crouched down in front of Anna.

"Anna, are you _-laughs- _are you okay?" Elsa breathlessly asked.

Anna looked up from her spot on the floor and scrunched up her nose.

"Ow, not the nose again...are you laughing at me?"

"No, I'm not, I swear." Elsa continued to giggle behind her hand, despite knowing what Anna would do.

"Oh yeah?" With a playful grin, she pushed Elsa's shoulder, and watched her usually graceful sister fall onto the floor.

"Anna, you don't understand, how could you fall like that?" Elsa barely managed to get the words out between laughs.

"You act like I've never fallen before." Anna laid down next to her sister, both of them staring up at the ceiling.

After Elsa finally finished laughing, Anna got up and pulled Elsa to her feet.

"Woah, Elsa, your hand is really hot."

"What? It's fine." Elsa pressed her hand to her cheek.

Anna slapped her hand onto Elsa's forehead, resulting in a groan from her sister.

"Elsa, you're burning up! We need to tell Mama and Papa."

"Anna, I'm fine." Elsa started to walk to the door, but slowly teetered to one side.

"That's it, we're going."

With a sigh, Elsa let Anna drag her to their father's study.

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**That's all for this chapter!**

**Thank you for visiting. :)**


	7. Author's Note

**Hello again! **

**Here's the list of fanfics that I highly recommend. (I know, I said I would do this about five days ago? Busy, busy all the time...)**

**1. Worse Games to Play by Belmione : Post Hunger-Games series, really interesting to see a person's take on Katniss' and Peeta's lives after the Hunger Games. (On hiatus, I think, but there are about 20 chapters.)**

**2. The Sky Is Awake by simplesnowflake: A fanfic on a sort of alternate universe Arendelle describing the lives of Elsa and Anna as they grew up. :) **

**3. For The First Time in Forever by csi cameron: A post-Frozen fanfic where Elsa struggles with the secrets of her father's past and her present. (Currently on hiatus, I think, but there's 12 angst-filled chapters. :D)**

**4. To Thaw A Frozen Heart by Nefelibata Clipse: A Frozen AU with Jack Frost. Jelsa fanfic. :)**

**5. Like a Sudden Gust by Nardragon: A post-Frozen fanfic where a mysterious man falls into Elsa's life, sweeping her off of her feet. ElsaxOC, and Kristanna. Some sexual content.**

**6. Unstuck in Time by : I think this is post-Frozen, Anna struggles with involuntary time-traveling. Only three chapters so far, but a very interesting concept. **

**7. Invisible Frost by Aqua783: Frozen fanfic where the winter spirit Jack Frost has been watching over Elsa for years. One day, she notices him.**

**8. Childish by RawrRoarRawr: If I had to pick one fanfic to recommend, this would be it. A series of one-shots after Frozen takes place. **

**9. A Burning Legacy by Caedous: A man on the run comes across Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Post-Frozen, ElsaxOC, Kristanna. Some sexual content.**

**10. Heart of Ice by Deathly-Hunger-Jackson: A Post-Frozen fanfic where Elsa encounters Jack Frost. However, Jack's history catches up to him, and threatens to ruin the life he has. Post-Frozen, Jelsa, Kristanna. Some sexual content.**

**11. The Prince of Arendelle by Nardragon: Post-Frozen Kristanna. A series of one-shots detailing the lives of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Anna's son, Erian. Highly recommend this fanfic.**

**12. Frozen Heart by The Lazy way: Takes place many years after Frozen, history threatens to repeat itself with the Elsa's and Anna's children. ElsaxOC and Kristanna. HIGHLY recommend this fanfic. **

**13. The Cursed Cycle by Matsuoka Shina: Jack Frost is tormented by a cycle that forces him to encounter Elsa again and again, but always takes her away from him. Based off of a book, I heard. Jelsa. (Hiatus until June/July.)**

**14. Acts of True Love by hamletlaertes: Takes place before Elsa's coronation. The castle of Arendelle is haunted by Anna's ghost after Elsa accidentally caused her death. Will Elsa manage to get rid of her guilt, and let Anna move on? Kristelsa.**

**15. A bitter poison by jade254: Post-Frozen, Hans decides to get his revenge on the sisters of Arendelle. But an unexpected complication appears. Helsa (HansxElsa), Kristanna. A darker take on Frozen. Some sexual content.**

**16. Snowflakes on the Wind by elsa-frozemyheart: A series of one-shots, some a bit darker than others. This author also has another series of one-shots called "Frozen Celebration". Highly recommend these stories.**

**17. Eternally Yours by Princess of Wands: A sort of Harry Potter AU. Luna Lovegood has been receiving strange love letters from an anonymous person. Harry decides to get to the bottom of this to ensure Luna's safety.**

**18. No Little Woman by lesmisgirl: A modern take on Louisa May Alcott's beloved story. Very entertaining, highly recommend it.**

* * *

**Comments time! **

Prettyprincess45 and rspringb:Thank you! :)

**Next chapter should be up on Wednesday. :)**

**Thank you for visiting, go show those fanfics some love. :) If anyone has any good fanfics that they'd like to recommend, don't hesitate to share! :D**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello again! **

**Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Elsa shook her head, as if to shake off the memory. Before, the portrait room was full of light and laughter. Now, a sense of emptiness permeated throughout the room. Taking in a deep breath, Elsa slowly made her way around the room.

She stopped at each and every single painting, letting the memories wash over her. When she got to the portrait of Joan of Arc, she gave her a small half-smile.

"Hello again. I always thought Anna was ridiculous for talking to you and the rest of them, but . . . I see why she loved you the best. You were so much like her, full of energy and adventure. Do you miss her too? I'm sorry that I have neglected you all for so long. I'll come back to visit you all, for Anna."

She made it to the last portrait, the one of her family.

"Mama. . . Papa. . ."

She put her hand on the corner of the painting, and looked at the faces of her family through tear-filled eyes.

Elsa suddenly blinked. She knew where she had to go. With one last look at her family, she silently ran out the door, down the hallways, out the gates and towards the burial grounds.

* * *

The sun started to rise as she headed up the hill. Pink streaks of light stretched out to embrace the mountains, with streaks of orange following close behind.

As she got closer to the headstones, her steps slowed. All of a sudden, she heard subtle cracking sounds behind her.

Elsa turned to look behind her, and saw spots of ice on the grass from where she had just stepped.

"Oh no. . ."

Taking in a deep breath, she continued on until she was in front of her family's headstones.

"Papa, Mama, Anna. . . I miss you all. I miss you more and more everyday. I'm scared. How will I be able to take care of Arendelle when I can't even take care of myself?"

A small blizzard started to form around Elsa.

"I try, everyday, to overcome this, but I can't! How could I ever be trusted to rule a kingdom, if I can't even control this. . . this curse!"

Elsa collapsed onto the morning grass, sobbing.

"Princess Elsa!"

Elsa swiftly turned around, her fear apparent on her face.

Kai and two other guards rose up on guards stayed back, awed by the snow, while Kai cautiously continued forward.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Kai gently asked, as he dismounted his horse.

"Kai, no, I'm dangerous. Please, stay away." Elsa slowly backed up.

"Princess, I have known you your whole life. You are not dangerous. I know that, the staff knows that. . . your family knew that. Your father believed in you, believed that your gift was something to be shared. Your family and the staff followed your wishes and agreed to keep your powers a secret, until you were sure that you could control them. But you never meant to hurt anyone. You've never trusted yourself, or your powers. That's why you never told anyone outside of the castle. But we all know that you are capable of overcoming this fear. Your father believed in you the most."

Crouching down next to her, Kai continued. "Princess, we trust you."

Elsa looked up and saw his warmth in his eyes, not so different from the warmth her father's eyes had held. The small blizzard halted to a stop, the snow falling gently to the ground.

Holding out his hand, Kai gave her a reassuring smile.

Elsa took his hand and carefully stood up. "Thank you Kai, for everything." She gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Come, princess, you need your rest."

With one last look at her family's headstones, she mounted a horse and set off, back towards the castle.

* * *

**That's all for this chapter!**

**Thanks for visiting! Next chapter will be up on Saturday. :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello again!**

**I know I said this would be up on Saturday, but I honestly don't think I'll have time tomorrow, so it's going up a day early. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Kristoff wandered throughout the town by himself. He had temporarily left Sven with a group of children near the town's center.

He chuckled lightly to himself, remembering the look of shock and despair on Sven's face when the children first saw him.

A light jingling in his pockets caught his attention, and he realized that he would need to find some work, any type of work, in order to continue to be able to buy food for himself and Sven.

All of a sudden, Kristoff felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, and quickly turned around to face whoever had approached him.

A man with a faint scar running down the right side of his face looked Kristoff in the eye.

"It seems Prince Hans has heard of your. . . lack of activity here in Arendelle. He strongly suggests that you do what you were sent here to do: get whatever information you can about this place, and the get rid of her, instead of going for walks and leaving pets with children."

Kristoff felt a creeping sensation sneak up his back. Was this hired man. . . spying on him? Prince Hans was more sly than he had thought.

"The Prince has given you some more money, to allow you to buy the best of your resources, while you're staying here. Keep in mind, I was sent here to keep an eye on you. If you even think about trying to wiggle your way out of this, you'll be back in that dungeon for the rest of your life."

The man shoved a small pouch into Kristoff's hands, then turned and walked away.

Kristoff stared at the pouch of money in his hands. Even though the man had left, he could still feel those cold eyes burning into his. His hands shook slightly as he felt himself start to panic.

"How could I have agreed to this?"

* * *

Kristoff woke up with a start. Judging by the moon's position, it was around midnight. Slowly getting up, so as not to disturb Sven, he set off for a walk, to clear his head.

As he walked through the forest with the moonlight peeking through here and there, he tried to reason his upcoming task to himself.

"I barely even know her, it would be like killing a stranger. . . I don't think I could even kill one if I tried."

With a groan of exasperation, he hung his head in his hands.

"Maybe I can try to reason with Prince Hans. Tell him to get that scar-guy to do it, and I'll still gather information. That's not as bad, right? But, she doesn't deserve to die. . ."

Although he wouldn't admit it, a strange feeling inside of him wouldn't let him harm her, a feeling he had never felt before.

At that moment, Kristoff encountered a small circle of densely populated trees. He slowly pushed a branch aside, and stifled a gasp of surprise at what he saw.

* * *

**I know, this chapter was pretty short. ;_; I'll try to make the chapters longer.**

**Next update will be on either Sunday or Tuesday. :)**

**Thanks for visiting!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello again! **

**The weeks of testing are about halfway over, so the schedule should be a bit more consistent in the next week or two. :)**

**Here's Chapter 9!**

* * *

Elsa stood near the middle of a circle of trees, in a high-necked, light blue nightgown, her hair loose and blowing softly in the night air.

Kristoff looked more closely, and saw that she seemed to be waving her hand over various pieces of grass.

There was frost on the grass. She was frosting the grass.

Elsa turned, back facing Kristoff, then raised her arm, causing a tree trunk to delicately freeze over.

"Woah," Kristoff exclaimed as he gazed in awe.

The moment Kristoff realized that he had said this out loud, Elsa reflexively turned and saw him, shock and panic washing over her face.

"Please, I can explain. . ." she stammered.

Kristoff felt extremely embarrassed for having been caught spying on her, and even more for making her feel embarrassed.

"No, I'm sorry, I should have said something," Kristoff blurted out, a hint of panic in his voice.

After a long pause, Elsa cautiously asked, "Aren't you. . . scared? Of me?"

Kristoff furrowed his brow in confusion. "No, why would I be? I saw you do this before, I mean. . ." He blushed as he realized that he had just admitted to spying on her before also.

Elsa took in a sharp breath, the asked, "Why aren't you? Afraid of me, I mean."

"Should I be?"

"Well. . . I just thought that people would think this is abnormal. A curse. A danger, to all of Arendelle. At least, that's what I thought they would think."

"I don't think that this is something to be scared of. Why do you think people would be afraid?" Kristoff asked confusedly.

Elsa looked at him, as if truly seeing him for the first time. She stared him straight in the eye, and opened her mouth as if to answer, then faltered. "I. . . I don't know. I just assumed that since I was always so afraid of losing control. . . it seemed only natural that others should fear me."

"I think most people would be amazed by what you can do."

Elsa blinked, and whispered, "'My father used to say that."

Kristoff slowly walked toward her, so as not to frighten her, until he was five feet away from her.

"Your father was right. Do the people in the castle know? Or the townspeople?"

Softly kneading her hands, Elsa stared at the frosted grass.

"The staff agreed with my father. The townspeople were never told. I had the staff and my family agree to never mention this to anyone."

"Why?"

"What if I lose control? What if I hurt someone?! I used to play around with this. . . power, but I stopped when I was ten. Anna slipped on my ice and sprained her ankle. Although my mother and father repeatedly tried to convince me that it had been an accident, I was horrified at the potential danger my powers contained. I hurt my sister, if I managed to hurt the person I felt the closest to, what was stopping me from hurting everyone else? I decided that I would only use my powers when trying to learn how to control it. I was close to mastering it when. . . they were lost at sea. I locked the castle gates, to keep the town safe. . . from me. I had a sort of. . relapse, and well. . . my emotions still have a strong hold over me."

Elsa gestured to the ice that had formed around her feet, and the snow that had started to fall.

"Elsa, this fear, it's all made up in your mind. Your parents weren't scared of you. Neither was your sister, or the staff. Or me. The only one scared of you. . . is yourself."

Elsa stared, her wide blue eyes held in Kristoff's chocolate brown eyes.

"You don't have to shut people out. Just open yourself up to the world, so they can get a chance to know you, the real you, not this phantom princess that they know nothing about. So many people have already accepted you for who you are. Just let them in."

Elsa eyes darted away from his for a second, lost in thought, then she slowly approached him.

"How? How can you be so sure that they'll accept me?" Elsa shakily whispered.

"They've already accepted you as their ruler. They look to you, they put all of their faith in you. I think they've already accepted you."

Elsa blinked in surprise, and pensively stared off into the distance, past Kristoff's shoulder.

After a minute, her eyes returned to his, a spark of confidence lighting her eyes. Kristoff was entranced.

"Thank you, Kristoff. I barely even know you, and you've done so much for me."

Kristoff blushed, and struggled to look away. "It was nothing."

Elsa smiled, and turned towards the direction of the castle. "I should go. Thank you, again."

"Would you like me to walk you, I mean walk with you, back to the castle?" Kristoff hurriedly mumbled.

With a quiet laugh, Elsa replied, "I would be happy to have you walk with me."

* * *

**OOOOOH! :D This was definitely my favorite chapter to write. . . so far. ;)**

**Have any of you read ****A Long, Long Sleep**** by Anna Sheehan? I couldn't stop thinking about the book while writing this chapter, something about the words that I used reminds me of Rose. Definitely recommend that book. **

**HEY! Okay, remember that scar-face guy who was sent by Hans to spy on Kristoff? Any name suggestions are HAPPILY WELCOMED. Seriously, I don't know ****why**** but I just cannot for the life of me decide on what I want his name to be. I would prefer a Scandinavian name, since this takes place in Norway, but honestly, it could be any type of name. I just want a name that conveys the sneakiness of a man who will do anything for money. If that makes any sense. NAME SUGGESTIONS PLEASE AND THANK YOU. :)**

**I tried to incorporate some "For the First Time in Forever Reprise" and "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" in this chapter, like when Kristoff says "You don't have to shut people out. Just let them in." I got inspiration for that from when Anna sings "Please don't shut me out again," and "Just let me in." I swear, these song titles will be the death of me. :p **

**Well, that's all for today! **

**Name suggestions, please! Feedback is also welcomed, don't be shy. :) **

**Next update will ****probably**** be on Wednesday or Thursday. :)**

**Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello again!**

**As stated last chapter, I am in need of name requests for the character sent by Hans to spy on Kristoff. ANY RECOMMENDATIONS WELCOME. :)**

* * *

"Here we are," Elsa announced. The two had reached the back of the castle.

"How are you going to get back inside?" Kristoff confusedly asked. Was she going to try to climb over the wall?

Elsa turned to face the castle, pulled her arms back, and then thrust them out in front of her, creating a staircase of ice. She turned to Kristoff and grinned, the first real smile he had seen on her that didn't make her appear older than she actually was.

"Wow. Now that's ice."

"Thank you. I never really knew what I was capable of, until now. I feel more free than I have in years. I'm still scared, but. . . I trust what you've said."

Elsa stood up on her toes and lightly kissed Kristoff on the cheek. With a whisper as light as gossamer, she added, "Goodnight, Kristoff."

With one last look into his warm, brown eyes, Elsa turned and gracefully ascended the staircase.

Kristoff gaped as she reached the top of the staircase, and stepped onto the top of the castle wall to look back at him.

With an intense look of concentration on her face, Elsa held her arms out in front of her, and slowly raised them. The ice that had made up the staircase seemed to disintegrate into the cool, night air. With a wave of her hands, the ice had completely disappeared.

"How did you do that?!" Kristoff asked breathlessly.

"I. . . I don't know. I've only ever been able to do it once or twice, when my family was here. Elsa stared at her hands, facing palm-up.

"Goodnight, Elsa."

Elsa looked up and gave him a small wave. "Goodnight." She turned, and created a snowbank to catch her. She jumped off the wall, her long, platinum-blonde hair being the last thing Kristoff saw before she landed safely on the other side.

Kristoff stood, dumbstruck, still reeling from what had just happened.

The ice. . . the kiss. He blushed at the memory. She had said that she'd only been able to unfreeze things when her family had been alive. Did that mean that she. . . felt comfortable with him?

"I'm in love with her." Kristoff stared straight ahead as he suddenly realized this. He hadn't known for sure until this moment. "I can't be in love with her, I barely know her!" Kristoff sighed in frustration, and started to walk back into the forest.

After a minute of walking, he stopped abruptly. "I won't kill her. I'll keep her safe from Prince Hans and that scarred sneak. He didn't mention anything about seeing me in the forest with Elsa; maybe he doesn't know what she can do. But I can't tell her about this. She would never trust me ever again. I'll keep her safe."

With a newfound determination, he continued on through the forest, back to his sleeping place, where Sven hadn't moved an inch. Kristoff leaned against the large reindeer, and let the immense weight of his fatigue wash over him.

As he drifted off to sleep, the last thing he thought of was Elsa's smile, the one that wasn't restrained by fear. He thought of how it illuminated her blue eyes and gave her a beauty that had once been hidden. Until now.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter.**

**Next update will be on Saturday! :)**


	12. Chapter 11

Elsa woke up to the bright light streaming through her window, filling the room. She gracefully stretched her arms out above her head, and lightly got out of bed.

After getting dressed in a dark blue dress and putting her hair up, in her mother's signature hairstyle, she headed out of the room, brushing her hand along Anna's bed as she passed by. A flash of orange caught her eye, and she paused, reaching out for the object with a shaky hand.

On the edge of Anna's bed, there lay two dolls that were made to look like her and Anna. The one resembling Anna had caught her eye, the bright orange yarn that made up her hair contrasting with Anna's pink blankets.

Elsa smoothed the doll's hair behind her ear, the same way Anna would when she was caught in a troubling situation, and couldn't figure a way out. The memory elicited a sad smile from Elsa, and she gently placed the doll down, next to the one that resembled her.

With a last glance at the dolls, she walked out of the room.

* * *

Once she was in the hallway, she headed straight for the castle's west wing. She opened the drapes of the first windows that she saw, letting the light fill the once abandoned hallway.

She continued to open all of the drapes in hallway of the west wing. When she reached the last set, she also opened the window, and breathed in the fresh air.

"For the first time in forever. . ." she murmured into the light breeze of the summer morning.

She walked to her parents' bedroom, and paused for a moment at the door.

"Mama, Papa, I love you."

When she reached the portrait room, she thrust open the large double doors, just as Anna would have done.

She quickly brushed the dust off of the portraits and busts with her hand, then stood silently in one place, breathing in the fresh air that was flowing into the room. The room already felt less stifled, less lonely than it had before.

Elsa walked over to the family portrait.

"Today, is a big day. I love you all, I miss you so much. Papa, I've finally come to believe what you said, with the help of a friend. I just wish I had realized it sooner. I love you."

Elsa lightly kissed her hand, then pressed it to the corner of the portrait.

After a moment of silence, she quietly left the room and headed for the dining hall.

* * *

"Princess Elsa! Is. . . everything okay?"

Kai curiously eyed Elsa as she entered the dining hall. He noticed that her eyes had a vivacity that had been lost for years.

"I'm fine, Kai. Today is the day," she replied with a smile.

"Day? For what, your highness?"

"Today is the day. The gates will be open, and the townspeople will learn the truth. I will not hide behind these walls anymore," Elsa confidently announced.

Kai paused for a moment to take in the news, then gave her a gentle smile. "Your father would have been proud."

Elsa walked forward and embraced him, catching him by surprise. When she pulled away, she gave him a kind smile, one that he had seen before, but on a different face.

"You look so much like your mother," Kai said gently.

Elsa's face turned a rosy pink, embarrassed by the sudden compliment.

"Thank you Kai, for everything. You became the father figure in my life after. . . the incident. I owe you so much."

"You owe me nothing, it is the duty of a servant of the royal family to serve them. That is all that I have done, no more."

Elsa was about to protest, when Kai simply shook his head and escorted her to her seat at the table.

After breakfast, Elsa stood up and walked out onto one of the castle balconies that overlooked Arendelle.

"Kai?" Elsa gently called.

"Yes, princess?"

"Tell the guards to open up. . . the gates!"

* * *

**That's all for today! **

**Next chapter will be on either Monday or Tuesday. :)**

**Thanks for visiting, until next time!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey there! :D**

**Comments time! :)**

rspringb: Hello again! :)

Kairi-Elsa: Hello there! Aw, you're too kind, sweetheart. :,D Thank you for the kind words, I'm just melting of happiness right now. :D

Prettyprincess45: Thank you! I love you, sweetie! :D

* * *

Kristoff and Sven wandered through the town, reveling in the summer sunlight. Kristoff kept looking around, trying to see if Prince Hans' spy was lurking about. Although he couldn't see him, he could feel his eyes watching his every move.

Suddenly, Kristoff heard a large creaking noise. He turned towards the source: Arendelle's castle.

All of the townspeople stared wide-eyed as the castle gates opened, revealing the young princess.

As Elsa walked across the bridge towards the town square, a hush fell over the people. They couldn't believe it: the princess has finally left the castle. But why?

When Elsa reached the town square, she stopped and cleared her throat. She took in the faces of her people, eager and kind. These faces put her at ease, and urged her to stand confidently before them.

Kristoff stood off to the side, just out of Elsa's line of sight. Sven grunted, and nudged him in the side with his antlers.

"I know, it's her," Kristoff whispered to him. He felt a surging sense of happiness and pride in her courage.

Elsa cleared her throat and addressed the crowd. "People of Arendelle, I know that my act of closing the gates has confused all of you. I am deeply sorry that I hid, instead of taking on my role as your princess."

"Today, the gates of the castle have been re-opened. They will stay open forever, to make up for those six years I spent in solitude, running away from my responsibilities."

"The truth is, I haven't been completely honest with all of you. I closed the gates out of fear, not of you. . . but of myself."

Taking in a shaky breath, Elsa forced herself to look into the eyes of the people before her.

"I was born with the power to manipulate and create ice and snow." Elsa made a sweeping hand motion, causing snow to appear from her hand, and to arch high above their heads. She then threw her hands above her head; a ball of energy shot forth from her hands and exploded, causing snowflakes to fall from the sky.

Some of the townspeople gazed wordlessly, others tentatively held out their hands to touch the falling snowflakes. A few children even tried to catch them with their tongues.

"I hid myself away out of fear; I feared that I wouldn't be able to control it. . . that I wouldn't be accepted. But now, I am not as afraid as I was before. I know now that I cannot run away from my fears. I only hope that it is not too late to ask for your forgiveness."

Elsa bit her lip as she struggled to keep her composure. She looked out upon the faces of the silent crowd. When the silence almost seemed to choke the air around her, a middle-aged, bearded man stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, we have all looked to you for a long time. We have never lost faith in you. Even now, that we know why you hid. . . we still trust you. Just as we trusted your father and mother."

The man bowed his head, and then looked up, giving her a reassuringly kind smile.

Elsa could only look at him in shock, before the rest of the people bowed as well, then started cheering and clapping.

"Long live Princess Elsa of Arendelle!" various people cried out.

A small girl with her hair in two pigtails cautiously stepped forward, looking up at Elsa. "Princess Elsa, could you make some more snow, please?"

Elsa's eyes widened as she took in the girl's appearance. Her hair and wide grin reminded her so much of Anna. With a kind smile, Elsa crouched down until she was eye-level with the girl. "It would be my pleasure," she whispered.

Standing up, Elsa threw her arms out, covering the ground with snow, and made various snowbanks.

"Thank you, Princess Elsa!" multiple children shouted. The girl gave Elsa a grateful smile, full of joy, then ran to join the others. The children ran around in the snow, having snowball fights and making snowmen.

A large warmth engulfed Elsa. She finally felt at home after so many years of feeling lost and alone.

Many people came up to her, and expressed how happy they were at her return in mirthful smiles and deep bows.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Elsa turned, and saw Kristoff standing there with Sven.

"Hello again. Who is this?" Elsa smiled at Sven, and even laughed when his mouth flopped open, tongue hanging out in glee.

"This is Sven. Congratulations, Princess. See, they all love you." Kristoff gestured to the people reveling in the summertime snow that showed no indication of ever melting.

"I owe it all to you. Thank you." Elsa smiled at Kristoff, causing his stomach to instantly turn somersaults.

"I only told you the truth," he shyly replied, scratching the back of his head out of embarrassment.

"Nonetheless, this was long overdue." Elsa sighed, and contentedly watched two children laugh as they pelted themselves with snowballs, wistfully remembering of a time when she did the same thing.

"You've brought them joy," Kristoff told her.

Elsa shook her head. "I've only made snow. I don't think that this deserves any exceptional praise," she whispered.

"Elsa." She turned to look at him, to really look at him, deep into his eyes. "Your powers really are amazing," he murmured.

A faint blush washed over Elsa's cheeks, and she looked down for a moment, her fingers weaving themselves together. When she looked back up at him, she gave him a grateful smile, taking Kristoff's breath away.

The two stood there, comfortably watching the townspeople play, carefree in the snow.

* * *

**That's all for today! **

**Next chapter will be up on Wednesday. **

**Quick question: does anyone know how to get into World of Color at California Adventure? Do I need a ticket, or is it just first come, first served? :o**

**Until next time! :D**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello again! **

**I feel like I'm experiencing some writer's block. Writing the chapters was easy in the beginning, but now it's a bit more of a struggle. :\**

**Comments!**

**Periwinkle: Haha, thank you! :D **

**Here's Chapter 13!**

* * *

As night began to fall, people drifted away towards their warm, comforting homes.

"It looks like it is time for me return to the castle. Would you like to join me?" Elsa asked Kristoff.

Kristoff turned to look at her, her bright eyes and red cheeks from playing in the snow bringing a smile to his face.

"Princess, I couldn't. . . but thank you," Kristoff gratefully replied.

"Elsa. Please, no formalities, I'm just a girl." Elsa gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"You're not just a girl, you're. . .well, kind and beautiful, and. . ." Kristoff froze as he realized what he had just said.

Elsa rapidly blinked, and then looked down at the ground, wringing her hands in confusion and embarrassment.

"_Great, now I've made things awkward between us. I mean, not that there ever was an us, but. . ._" Kristoff thought, as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with his hand and looked down at his feet.

"So. . . shall we go inside?"

Kristoff looked up to see Elsa addressing him, her eyes on his face, but not quite looking directly at his eyes.

"Princess, I mean. . . Elsa, I couldn't. Thank you, but I wouldn't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all, Kristoff. Sven is also allowed to come. Sven!" Elsa gave a small beckoning motion to him, and watched as he galloped over to her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"He likes you already." Kristoff grinned as Elsa rubbed Sven behind his ears.

"I'm honored." Elsa gave Sven a kind smile, then turned towards the castle. "Let's go."

"Thank you, Elsa."

"It gets a little lonely with all of those empty rooms, just watching the years pass by. It's no trouble at all." Elsa turned around and briefly touched Kristoff's shoulder, in an attempt to ease his insecurity, then started walking towards the castle, Kristoff and Sven following close behind.

When they entered the dining room, Kai turned from where he stood helping a young, fair-haired maid set the table. Both paused to bow to Elsa as she came in.

"Your Majesty. Who are they?" Kai puzzledly looked from Kristoff's to Sven's face. "Is that a. . . reindeer?"

"This is Kristoff, and Sven." Elsa gestured to the two. "They will be joining us tonight."

"Of course, your majesty." Kai left for the kitchen to gather another plate and set of cutlery. He suddenly re-entered the room, and asked, "Your highness, will the reindeer also eat here?"

"Yes." Elsa smiled to herself. "_A reindeer as a dinner guest. Well, there is always time for firsts_."

"What will it eat?"

Elsa opened her mouth as if to respond, then turned to Kristoff for the answer.

"Carrots. Carrots will be fine," Kristoff shyly explained.

With a nod, Kai turned and walked away.

"Will you need anything else, Your Highness?" the maid quietly inquired.

"No, but thank you, Hilda." Elsa gave her a grateful smile.

The girl gave a start at being addressed by her first name, as if she didn't expect the princess to know who she was. With a small curtsy, she turned and left the room.

As Elsa walked to her seat at the head of the table, Kristoff rushed forward to pull her chair out for her.

"Thank you," Elsa quietly spoke.

Kristoff took a seat to the left of her, Sven plopping down onto the floor next to him.

After a long moment of silence, Kristoff spoke up. "I didn't mean to make things awkward, back there. I just wanted you to know how special you are, I mean. . ." Kristoff turned bright red as he realized that it was highly probable that he had made things worse than before. He loved his hands around nervously, hands clasped together.

"Kristoff." Elsa reached her hand out to place it on top of both of his. "I know. Thank you. I was just. . . surprised. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Really, I understand."

The two sat there, hands touching, Sven staring open-mouthedly, both unaware of their surroundings as they gazed into each other's eyes, both of them lost in thought.

Suddenly, the servants came in with their food, and Sven's carrots.

Elsa quickly pulled her hand away, a light blush creeping up her face as she turned to thank the servants.

Kristoff sat silently, reminiscing in what had just transpired. He brought his hands under the table, his left hand cradling the other, reveling in the touch of Elsa's hand. "Does she. . . feel it too?" he wondered.

* * *

**Well, that's it for this update!**

**Next chapter will be up on Friday. :)**

**Keep it up with the commenting, I love talking to you guys. :D**

**Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey there lovelies!**

**Guest:**** Thank ****you**** for existing, sweetie! I'm glad that this small story makes you happy; honestly, that's all I wanted to achieve with this story. :D**

***** Heads up, I do NOT own the rights of the song that will make an appearance below. All rights belong to Disney, bless their souls. *****

* * *

The man ran a finger along the right side of his face, tracing his scar, while lost in thought. "So, the Prince's errand boy has decided to turn his back on him, for a girl. That girl. . . no wonder she kept herself locked up. Prince Hans will be interested in this piece of information. Maybe he'll give me a handsome amount of money. . ."

The man smiled a wry, malicious smile. He watched as Elsa and Kristoff walked into the castle as night approached, Sven trailing close behind. He scoffed, amazed that a man who had been sent to kill the princess had not only befriended her, but had also managed to acquire an annoying pet to follow him around.

"Prince Hans should've picked me for this task; why would he pick some soft-heartedboy who quivers in his boots? With this information about the princess, I'll show that Prince that I am capable of carrying out any deed. He'll reward me with riches, maybe even land, or a title! I did get him the poison for his father. . ."

With a determined smirk on his face, the man headed down the hill with intentions of returning immediately to the Southern Isles.

* * *

"No!"

Elsa woke with a start, nearly falling out of her bed. She had suffered through another nightmare, although it was different from the one that she usually had.

In her nightmare, she had been standing in the town square, where she had been almost half a day ago, watching the townspeople play in the snow. All of a sudden, she had seen a flash of white come flying towards her out of the corner of her eye. She raised her hand to her face in an attempt to shield herself from the oncoming snowball. When no snow made contact with her hand, she slowly lowered her hand. With a cry of shock, she realized that she had frozen the whole town. The faces of the townspeople were full of fear and anguish. Elsa had slowly backed up, taking in quick, short breaths, when she bumped into something behind her. She had turned around, only to find that Kristoff stood behind her, arm outstretched, frozen in a cry for help.

Elsa got out of bed and started to pace around in circles. After minute of this, she stopped where she stood, her sweat-drenched nightgown keeping her from thinking clearly.

With a shaky hand, Elsa brought it up to her shoulder in one swift motion, causing the hem of her skirt to freeze over, the frost then trailing up her nightgown. In a few seconds, she had replaced her heavy nightgown with a light one made of opaque ice. Elsa stood there, eyes closed, reveling in the cooling sensation on her skin. She opened her eyes and went to the window in hopes that the peaceful surroundings would help her to fall back asleep.

When she reached the window, she noticed a figure walking through the gardens in a grove of birch trees, her favorite place on the palace grounds. She looked more closely, and recognized Kristoff's blond hair. She rushed to the door, in hopes of catching up to him, but stopped suddenly, her hand on the doorknob.

"The nightmare. . ."

Her worst fear, fear of harming everyone around her, had manifested itself into a twisted dream, petrifying her.

Elsa's hand tightened on the doorknob. She wouldn't let this fear continue to control her, it had already been too many years of fear and hiding. She would overcome this.

Elsa determinedly opened the door, and headed for the gardens.

* * *

Kristoff wandered through the grove of trees, admiring the peacefulness of the area. Sure, the flowers were beautiful, but the trees held a sense of tranquility and comfort.

"Kristoff!"

He turned around towards the sound of the voice, his jaw instantly dropping as soon as he saw Elsa.

Elsa briskly walked up to him, wearing a nightgown that seemed to be made of. . . ice? A few faint sparkles caught the moonlight, making her appear ethereally enthralling.

Although her dress was made out of ice, her skirts still gracefully brushed to a halt when she stopped in front of him.

"Hello again. May I walk with you?" Elsa cautiously asked.

Kristoff quickly closed his mouth, sure that he had scared her by gawking at her. "Of course." The two continued to walk through the thicket of trees.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" Elsa politely inquired.

"No. Well, yes and no. I just feel more comfortable outside, I've always been a bit of a wanderer. It's not that the rooms here are uncomfortable or anything, I mean. . ."

Elsa gave him a reassuring smile. "I understand. A house is not necessarily a home. Or a castle, in this case."

Kristoff gave a small chuckle, elliciting a grin from Elsa.

"How about you? What brings you out here in the middle of the night?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa's grin quickly fell from her face, throwing Kristoff into a panic.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he stammered.

"No, it's not tour fault. I just. . . had a nightmare." Elsa stopped walking, drawing Kristoff to a halt.

Elsa looked up at the night sky, as if searching for some hidden meaning among the stars. "Look up," she whispered.

Kristoff raised his eyes and gasped in shock and awe. It was as if someone had painted streaks of various colors onto the surface of the sky. If was like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Anna used to say that 'the sky's awake', and then would use that as an excuse to stay up later than usual. We would sneak out and watch the stars from here, in the safety of the trees. This grove has always been my most favorite place. I used to dance here. I felt free in the shelter of these trees." Elsa paused and then looked down, a deep pink washing over her cheeks. "I don't know why I'n telling you all of this, I. . . I'm sorry if I am being a burden on you," Elsa apologetically explained.

"Don't be, you're not a burden. The least I could do is listen to you after you've provided Sven and I with food and shelter," Kristoff replied.

Elsa gave him a small smile, then pensively looked at him. "Kristoff, would you like to dance? With me?" she hesitantly asked.

When Kristoff blinked in surprise, she hastily added, "I understand if you would feel uncomfortable. . . I-"

"Elsa," Kristoff gently interrupted, "I'd be honored." With a crooked smile, he awkwardly raised his left arm, causing Elsa to give a soft giggle.

"Here," she suggested, as she lowered his arm a bit with her right hand, entwining her fingers with his. Kristoff hesitatingly placed his right hand on her lower back in a slightly gawky way, while she gently placed her left hand on top of that same arm.

Elsa slowly led the two, as they danced under the Northern Lights. With every step of Elsa's, ice frosted over the grass, causing them both to stare down wonderingly at the floor made of ice.

Kristoff looked up, causing Elsa to do the same, looking into his eyes. "What about music?" Kristoff lightly teased.

Elsa thought for a moment, then softly began to sing a love song that she had heard her mother sing, long ago.

_"So this is love, mmmm, so this is love. . ._

_So this is what makes life divine. . . _

_I'm all aglow, mmmm, and now I know. . . The key to all_ _heaven_, _is mine. . ."_

Kristoff felt himself start to ease into the dance, as Elsa's striking voice glided smoothly through the air.

_"My heart has wings, mmmm, and I can fly. . ._

_I'll touch ev'ry star in the sky. . ."_

Elsa's voice trailed off as the two slowly stopped dancing, both searching each other's eyes for a glimmer of what they each felt.

Kristoff slowly raised his right hand to her face, caressing her cheek. Elsa couldn't move, her eyes wide and heart fluttering rapidly. Kristoff slowly leaned forward, closing his eyes as Elsa closed hers in response.

The pairs' lips met in a soft, gentle kiss. As the kiss melted into something deeper, Kristoff realized that he had finally found a place that he could call home; Elsa felt that she had rediscovered a part of her that had been lost for so long.

The two stayed there, formed into one in a single embrace, under the colors of the sky.

* * *

**-squeals- The kiss! I've been waiting so long for this. :D**

**Next chapter will be up on either Sunday or Monday! **


	16. Chapter 15

**Hello there! :) **

**Steefwaterbutter****: Hey! Long time no see! :D Haha, you're welcome. :D That backstory on your name was hilarious. xD When I first saw it, for some reason, I thought of steak. I dunno, I just must've been really hungry. :p Thank you! Those were my favorite parts to write; I was thinking of doing a one-shot series with Anna and Elsa as children, but then decided that there are already quite a lot out there. :) Haha, thank you again; I'm trying to incorporate more adventure and suspense into this story. :D**

**This chapter is a bit different from the previous ones, hopefully you guys like it. :D**

* * *

Hans was bored. He had been waiting for months for his father to die. It was at times like these that he wondered if he should have had Kasper kill his father instead of just supplying him with the poison to slowly kill the king.

Although Hans was thirteenth in line for the throne, his brothers were off on various excursions, whether they were for trade or reducing tensions elsewhere, leaving him with the authority at home. Once his father was out of the way, it shouldn't be too hard to stage some "accidents" for them. It was what they deserved, anyway.

After his mother had died in childbirth, Hans was raised under his father's cool and distant authority. His brothers had little to no time for him, as there was a 5 to 25 year difference in age between him and his brothers. His father stayed as far away from him as he could. King Erik of the Southern Isles blamed Hans for his wife's death, and couldn't even bring himself to look at him; his face was almost an exact copy of the late Queen Annelie's, especially his piercing green eyes.

Hans wandered through the castle hallways before stopping at his father's bedroom door. In one brusque movement, he opened the door and looked in the direction of his father's bed, where the king lay sleeping. As Hans got closer, he noticed the slight gray shade that his father's skin held, and the deep hollows in his cheeks.

Hans settled into a chair next to the bed that had once been his mother's favorite chair to relax in, or so he had heard. All that he had gathered about his mother had come from the servants, or his unbearably perfect brothers. Hans felt a surge of anger when thinking of his brothers; it wasn't fair that as the youngest, he should have to stay with their father while the others got to take care of royal affairs. "I can do anything they can do, and better," Hans thought to himself.

At that moment, the King stirred in his sleep, then woke up, slowly opening his eyes. When he saw his wife's eyes staring at him coldly in his son's face, he shifted his eyes to look up at the ceiling. The pain of longing for his wife and blame towards his son burned inside of him, causing his breathing to speed up.

"Is Anders back?" the King hoarsely asked, still not looking at Hans.

"No. He's still overseas, visiting the neighbor countries," Hans coldly replied.

"He's been gone for six years, a man needs the comforts of home."

"Home can only benefit him if he is made to feel welcome. Not made to feel like an intruder in a place that is rightfully his," Hans accusingly spoke in a monotone.

The King said nothing for a moment. After taking in a deep breath, he croaked out, "Your brothers are still in Grønnedal?"

"Your sons have been having some complications in the battles against the insurgency." The King of Grønnedal had died of poisoning, leaving his fourteen year old son to take the throne. The ones who had wished for the end of the monarchy saw their chance, and plunged the kingdom into war. The eldest sons of the Southern Isles had gone directly to the fighting, while the younger sons had traveled to other countries trying to gain support.

Hans wasn't as bitter about being left behind as he had been at the beginning of the war. If he hadn't been at home, he would never have gotten a chance to grab the throne of Arendelle.

Six years ago, after the princes of the Southern Isles had left, the King had fallen ill due to "unknown circumstances", things only the fifteen-year old Hans had known about. Hans had been given complete control over domestic affairs.

When the wreckage of the ship from Arendelle washed ashore, Hans had sent out search parties to search for survivors. When they had brought back a family ravaged by the storm and had learned who they were, he had them thrown into the dungeons. The guards were easily paid off to keep quiet.

The royal family of Arendelle had pled with Hans; it was all a misunderstanding, they weren't criminals or trespassers. Hans had them know that he knew exactly who they were, and that he planned to take the now empty throne of Arendelle, seeing as the Southern Isles was their closest trading partner. His plan changed, however, when he heard of the heir. He had to modify his plan; he would marry the princess for the throne, then quietly dispose of her. If she refused, he would enact a trading embargo against her kingdom, or attempt to blackmail her through her family. Of course, he had gotten impatient after waiting so long for her to come of age that he hired an assassin. The prisoner. All he had to do now was to wait for news of the princess' death, and to continue to keep the royal family or Arendelle hidden from his father and brothers.

"Why couldn't you be more like Frederik?" the King suddenly asked. Frederik was the oldest of the princes, at 46 years old. Although he was still a bachelor, he brought the most joy to the king.

Hans' hands clenched the arms of his chair as he spat out, "Well, Frederik has always been the 'perfect child'."

"Your brothers have always been intelligent, independent, strong, fair. You, on the other hand, have always been quietly hiding, whining, clinging to me every chance you could get. Your mother's death wasn't worth having a petulant child.

Hans stood up abruptly, not sure of what he would do, only knowing that he felt like hitting something, when a guard opened the door.

"Your Majesty, a man by the name of Kasper is here to see you."

Hans turned to face the guard, then back to his father. "I must go, father. I have to deal with affairs of the kingdom."

"You will never be king," King Erik called after him.

Hans paused at the door, then slowly turned around, wearing a smile that chilled the king to the bone.

"Really, father? I guess we'll see." With the satisfaction of having the last word, Hans strode out of the room.

* * *

**-dun dun dun-**

**The word "Grønnedal" is actually Danish for "Green Valley". :) From now on, I'd like to do a little vocabulary section here, whenever I incorporate some Norwegian or Danish words in the chapters. Are you guys on board with this idea, or no?**

**Next chapter will be up on Wednesday. :D**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello there marshmallows! :) **

**Guest****: Thanks, I think? xD**

**Guest****: No, well. . . no, not really. :p **

* * *

Hans entered the throne room, where prominent visitors were escorted to. At the far end of the room, a man with a scar running down the right side of his face turned to face Hans, his hand on top of the king's throne.

"Get away from that," Hans snapped at him.

"What? Isn't a man allowed to touch? This sure is one fancy place you have here," the man replied.

Hans rushed forward and forcefully removed the man's hand from the arm of the throne. "You better have a good explanation for your presence here, Kasper," he threatened.

"Of course, your most ultimate highness," Kasper snidely remarked. "Ahem, your 'assassin' has decided to turn his back on you. I told you that I could get rid of the princess, but still you chose that fool."

"What? What do you mean?" Hans asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Your 'assassin' has sided with the princess. He won't be killing her anytime soon. Oh, and your princess has been hiding a large secret for quite some time. . ."

Kasper lazily trailed off, looking to the ceiling in boredom, when Hans grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall.

"Don't test me. What is this secret?!"

Kasper gasped and blurted out, "Snow! She can create ice and snow!"

Hans laughed and let go of Kasper, causing him to slump to the floor. Kasper gasped, and pressed one hand to his throat, as if trying to remove the feeling of Hans' fingers that still lingered there.

"Really, Kasper? I thought you would have come up with something better than this. . ."

"No! It's true!" Kasper reached in his pockets and pulled out a small pouch, holding it out in front of him.

Hans snatched it out of his hand, and poured the contents of it onto the floor. Fresh, unspoiled snow spilled out onto the floor. "Snow? That doesn't melt?" He crouched down, gently running the snow through his fingers. With a dark look of determination, he grabbed a handful of snow, and stuffed it back into the bag.

"You've done your duty, go, I have no use for you anymore." Hans turned and walked away, stuffing the pouch in his pocket.

"I believe you still owe me some money?" Kasper meekly asked.

Without looking back, he responded, "I believe I already paid you."

After he had slammed the door behind him, Hans shouted down the hall, "Guards! Escort this man out. Make sure that he never returns."

* * *

Anna paced around the cell of the dungeon, her hands playing with the ends of her braids.

"Anna, sit down. We're not going anywhere," the Queen murmured.

"I can't. I need to move around. I need to do something. I don't know why," she hastily replied.

"Anna. Please." Anna stopped in her tracks, her skirts swishing against her ankles. The Queen patted the space on the floor next to her, gesturing Anna over.

Anna took in her mother's tired face, her weary eyes. "Okay, Mama," she quietly complied. She sat down next to her mother against the wall, and lightly rested her head against her mother's shoulder while absentmindedly playing with the sleeve of her brown, tattered dress.

The Queen comfortingly stroked her daughter's hair, and began to hum a simple tune.

Suddenly, a guard opened the cell door and shoved the King in. "That's enough time for a restroom break." He quickly shut the door and walked away, his boots clunking against the stone floor.

"Agdar," the Queen exclaimed, hurriedly getting up to catch her husband, his shaky steps causing him to trip over his own feet.

"Papa, are you okay?" Anna rushed up to help her mother, each one taking hold of one side of him.

"I'm fine, Anna. Thank you, Idun." The King gave his wife a small smile.

Anna and the Queen gently lowered the King onto the floor, then both sat down, one on either side of him.

The King sighed, and gently grabbed hold of their hands.

"Papa, I still have some bread. Please, eat it." Anna took a hunk of stale bread out of her pocket and held it out to her father.

"No, Anna. I don't need it. Please."

"But, Papa-" Anna protested, pausing when the King's solemn stare cut her off.

Her face fell, causing the King's eyes to grow gentle in response. "I'm sorry. I did't mean to be stern. You need to eat also, don't starve yourself for me. Please." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Anna gave a slight nod, and placed the bread back in her pocket.

After a moment of silence, the King murmured, "Ah, this beard never ceases to irritate me."

The Queen lightly chuckled and squeezed his hand. "I think you still look as handsome as you did before, Agdar."

The King gave her a loving, but weary smile, and raised his hand to cradle her face, her hand still entwined with his. "You still look as radiant as you did six years ago, my dear Idun."

Anna smiled, taking in the scene before her. It was at times like these that the pain of being so far from home didn't sting as much.

"Do you think Elsa will recognize us?" Anna softly asked.

The King gave a deep sigh, and replied, "I hope so. I hope that she is well."

The Queen leaned her head into her and her husband's hands, trying to comfort herself.

"She'll be all right, Anna. We just have to have faith," the Queen reassured.

At that moment, Hans appeared at the cell door, accompanied by a guard who then unlocked the door for him. As soon as he stepped inside, he raised his hand without looking back, a signal the guard took as permission to leave.

After the guard left, Hans slowly walked forward until he was standing about two feet away from the family.

"When I asked you if there was anything I needed to know about Arendelle and its princess, I meant tell me about any secrets she might have,"he coldly enunciated.

Anna glared up at him, looking straight into his cold, emerald eyes, while the King and Queen tiredly looked at him, as if they had been expecting this day to come.

Hans pulled the pouch out of his pocket, and dumped the snow out onto the floor.

The family stared, wide-eyed and in shock at the perfect snow. "Elsa. . ." Anna whispered.

"Yes, your dear sister created this snow. It seems that she has revealed her secret to the kingdom, and they didn't declare her a monster. Hm. Well, since she still has control of the throne, and I know of her 'power', it will make it easier for me to take the throne, especially since she's still fearful of herself."

"Stay away from her," Anna coldly pronounced.

"Who's going to stop me? You? I hardly think so," Hans snidely replied, adding a cruel, short laugh at the end.

He turned to leave, and said over his shoulder, "Next time we meet, I will be the King of Arendelle."

"You're no match for Elsa," Anna yelled defiantly. She stood up, despite her parents' efforts to hold her back.

Hans turned to face her, and callously replied, " I think I can handle a young, scared girl. But thank you for your concern." With that, he slammed the door in Anna's face.

As soon as he left, the guard came back downstairs to lock the door, then headed back upstairs.

The King and Queen stood up and walked over to Anna. The Queen took hold of one of her hands, while the King placed a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Elsa, how is she going to protect herself from that. . . that monster?" Anna hopelessly whispered.

The Queen brushed Anna's bangs back from her face, and lightly rested her hand against her cheek. "Elsa will be fine," she murmured. "If she is still anything like the responsible, intelligent young lady we last saw, she will be alright. I know it."

"But she never learned how to fully master her powers!" Anna desperately replied.

"She can do it. She will. If she truly has told the people, then she must have gained some control. Kai will help her, as will the rest of the staff," the King confidently spoke.

"Elsa, please be okay," Anna whispered.

An hour later, when her parents had fallen asleep on the cold stone floor, Anna strayed over to the dungeon window. She gazed out at the stars, wondering if Elsa was doing the same thing.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" she whispered into the night air.

* * *

**Finally! We get to see Anna, the King and the Queen! :D Anna's a bit feisty, but then again, six years of being held against your will for no reason will probably do that to you. :p The King and Queen are a bit more subdued; they haven't exactly given up, but they know that fighting will only get them in more trouble. There'll be more on that later. :)**

**Next chapter will be up on Thursday! Until next time! :D **


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello again!**

**Quick thank you to anyone that's read this. This story's gotten almost 5,000 views, that's just unfathomable to me! Thank you all, even if you merely glanced at this and decided this story wasn't your cup of tea. :) I appreciate all of the love this story has received. Thank you, I love you all. :D**

* * *

"Kai!" Elsa called out.

Kai turned around and saw Elsa down at the other end of the hallway, coming towards him.

"Yes, milady?" he responded with a bow.

"I would like to hold a ball for the upcoming coronation. It will be a good way for me to interact with the people, and to get to know our foreign neighbors."

"Of course, Princess. When do you plan on hosting this ball?"

"The day before the coronation."

"That gives is six days to prepare," Kai pensively replied.

"Is that enough time? I don't mean to be a burden, if it is too much-" Elsa hastily spoke, worry crossing her face.

"Princess," Kai politely interrupted, "It will be fine. Don't worry. We will handle it. All that you need to do is to send out the invitations."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a burden on the staff. . ." Elsa anxiously asked.

"Yes, Princess. Go, enjoy life. You've been stuck in this castle for too long. Why don't you go visit your friend?" Kai suggested, putting an emphasis on the last word.

Elsa blinked in surprise, then looked away, trying to hide the deep blush that had blossomed over her face. "I. . . I should go outside. Thank you, Kai." With that, she lightly touched his shoulder, gave him a shy smile and walked past him, towards the main hallway.

After she had left, Kai softly laughed and shook his head in wonder. "I hope that she can find peace at last," he murmured.

* * *

Kristoff sat on the floor of Sven's stall, chewing on a carrot. Sven lay next to him, his face about halfway in the sack of carrots that lay near Kristoff's feet.

"Woah boy, you might want to slow down," Kristoff warned.

With a snort, Sven crunched on a carrot and burrowed deeper into the sack.

Kristoff sighed and ran his hand over the length of Sven's back. Suddenly, he heard light steps enter the barn.

"Kristoff?"

He sat up straighter, recognizing Elsa's voice as her whisper wandered over to him.

"In here," he called. He stood up, disrupting the sack of carrots and thus causing Sven to give a grunt of irritation.

Kristoff opened the stall door as Elsa walked up to it, causing her to hastily step back to avoid getting hit.

"I'm sorry, I-" Kristoff hastily apologized before Elsa cut him off.

"It's fine, really." Elsa placed her left hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart, while grinning at Kristoff's clumsiness.

"Um. . . would you like to come in? Or we should probably go outside. It smells strongly of reindeer here," Kristoff awkwardly mumbled.

"I'm fine here," Elsa reassured him. She walked past Kristoff, into the small stall. She noticed Sven, and crouched down on the floor next to him."Hello there," she cooed. Sven's head emerged from the sack, a carrot dangling out of his mouth.

Elsa laughed, the sound bubbling out of her, and scratched Sven behind his ears. Kristoff grinned, and crouched down next to her.

"Thank you again for letting us stay here. We'll be sure to come and visit," said Kristoff.

"Visit? Where are you going?" Elsa asked, confusion apparent in her voice and on her face.

"We can't take advantage of your kindness. We'll find a place in town so that we aren't a burden on you," Kristoff explained.

"You two are guests. There is no reason for you to leave," Elsa reasoned.

"No, I don't want to intrude-"

"Kristoff." He paused while in mid-sentence, his mouth open. You two are always welcome here." Elsa placed her hand on top of his in an effort to comfort him.

"But-"

"No. No more protesting." Elsa solemnly stared into his eyes, her striking blue ones holding his gaze.

With a sigh, Kristoff relented. "Alright. But you have to let me help out, in any way that I can."

"You don't-"

"If you're going to have me stay, then I'll need to earn it. Earn our stay." He nodded in Sven's direction.

Elsa hesitated for a moment, then gave him a small nod. "Alright then. Do we have a deal?" She held her hand out to him.

Kristoff steadily shook her hand, not breaking eye contact for a second.

After they shook hands, Elsa cleared her throat, and spoke.

"Would you like to go into town with me? I haven't properly been there in so long."

"Of course." Kristoff stood up, and helped Elsa up. Once both were standing, he offered her his arm.

"We'll be back, Sven," Kristoff called.

_-snort-_

"Will he be okay on his own?" Elsa asked, her voice full of concern.

"Those carrots will keep him occupied for a while," Kristoff replied with a chuckle.

* * *

**That's all for today! Until Saturday! :) **


	19. Chapter 18

**Hey there! **

**rspringb****: :D :D**

* * *

Elsa and Kristoff walked through the town, Elsa's hand lightly resting on Kristoff's arm. They greeted everybody they came across, Elsa politely nodding and Kristoff awkwardly waving.

"I don't know what to do," he worriedly whispered.

"Don't worry. If I remember correctly, it was you who made me realize that they are nothing to be afraid of," Elsa lightly teased.

Kristoff dramatically grimaced. "Using my own words against me?" With a sigh, he added, "Well, I did say that I would do anything to earn my stay."

"If this really makes you uncomfortable, you can return back to the castle." Kristoff looked down at Elsa and saw a hint of worry behind her perfectly poised façade. Her hand trembled slightly on his arm.

"No, I'll stay." With his free hand, Kristoff laid it on top of Elsa's and gave her a comforting smile.

"Thank you," Elsa gratefully whispered. She didn't want Kristoff to feel like he had to stay with her, but his presence made her feel safe and protected.

The two came across a flower cart, piled high with seasonal flowers. The vendor bowed to Elsa and stood off to the side to let her examine the flowers. Elsa let go of Kristoff's arm and went up to the cart, as if drawn by the aromatic fragrances and vibrant colors.

"Greplyng. . . that was always Anna's favorite. Tysbast, reinrose, lavender, brudespore, blåveis, fjellflokk. . . blåklokke?" Elsa tentatively picked up a sprig of blåklokke. "This was Mama's favorite," she softly whispered.

"Would you like some, Your Highness?" the vendor kindly asked.

"Oh, I don't have any money with me-"

"Please, take it."

"Oh no, I couldn't just take it without paying," Elsa gently objected.

"Please, Princess." The vendor picked out the best of the blåklokke and greplyng, and held them out to her. "Please, take them."

Elsa hesitated for a moment, then tentatively took the flowers. "Thank you, I. . . I don't know what to say."

"Your mother used to visit my cart, especially for these flowers. I remember, a few times, that she brought you and your sister along." The vendor smiled, crinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes.

Elsa stared at him in shock, the man's smile bringing up a distant memory. Whenever het mother brought her and Anna along with her to the town, they would stop at the flower cart. It became part of their routine to purchase flowers whenever they came into town. The vendor would always let her and Anna smell all of the flowers, and would smile at them from a distance. She didn't remember ever hearing the vendor talk about children of his own, or a family for that matter.

Elsa felt a pang of guilt. How could she have abandoned her mother's custom? How could she have been so selfish as to hide from the town?

With tears welling in her eyes, Elsa gently took hold of the vendor's frail hand, holding it carefully in one of her own. "Thank you. Words cannot express my gratitude. I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to return."

The vendor's eyes began to fill, tears glassing over them. "There is no need for apologies. You are always welcome here." He gave her a deep bow, and then sniffed, as if trying to stop his tears from falling.

Elsa curtsied in return, and then slowly let go of his hand. She was reluctant to leave the place that reminded her so much of her mother and her childhood.

Elsa gave the vendor an appreciative smile, and walked towards another part of the town, Kristoff following close behind. The vendor smiled to himself,reminiscing in times past. "Some things never change," he thought contentedly.

* * *

**Here are links to pictures of the flowers mentioned above. :) **

**Greplyng:** no. wiki/Greplyng

**Tysbast: ** no. wiki/Tysbast

**Reinrose:** no. wiki/Reinrose

**Lavender: ** en. wiki/Lavandula

**Brudespore:** /Tags/brudespore/Interesting

**Blåveis: ** no. wiki/Blåveis

**Fjellflokk:** no. wiki/Fjellflokk

**Blåklokke: ** no. wiki/Blåklokke

**That's all for today! Until Monday! :D**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey there lovelies! **

**Prettyprincess45: Awh, thanks! :,D**

***** Due to end of the year projects and finals, updates will now be once/****maybe**** twice a week. I'm SOOOOO sorry, but right now I need to just focus 100% on getting through the last few weeks of school. I'm so sorry, please don't hate me. D: When I find some free time, I will be absolutely sure to update, but right now it looks like updates will be a weekly occurrence instead of one every other day. I'm so sorry. *****

* * *

"Excuse me?"

Kai turned around to see Kristoff, wearing an apprehensive look on his face.

"Yes, Sir Kristoff?"

"Erm, just Kristoff. . . please. I was, um. . . wondering. . . what exactly Princess Elsa likes?" Kristoff timidly asked.

Kai grinned._ "Ah, so the Princess really does have a suitor?"_ he thought.

"Well, she enjoys fyrstekake, krumkake, flowers, chocolate, books, geometry, nighttime and picnics, among other various things." The last item was a bit of a stretch, as Elsa hadn't been to a picnic in years. Kai had only included it to give Kristoff an idea.

Kristoff scrunched his eyebrows in thought, then quickly relaxed them. He looked up gratefully at Kai. "Thank you. . . Kai?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." With a bashful grin, Kristoff turned and almost sprinted down the hallway, leaving Kai behind to chuckle to himself before continuing on his way.

* * *

Elsa sat down at her desk, or more appropriately, her father's desk. After her family died, she had taken it upon herself to attempt to learn of all the foreign agreements and domestic affairs. Her father's study had become her refuge, her safe haven. When she sat in his chair, listening to the fire crackling in the fireplace, she almost believed that he would come in and read with her, or that Anna would come running in to lie down on the rug.

Yesterday, after she and Kristoff had returned from the town, she had gone to her father's study to write out the invitations for the ball.

She had sent invitations to the kingdoms of the Southern Isles, Storbakke, Solfylt Dalen, Hederlig, Klok Elv, Fredeligdal and Velstående, among many others. Thinking of the Southern Isles had led to remembrances of gloomy memories, and she struggled to think of something else. She remembered that most of the sons had gone to fight in Grønnedal, against the insurgency.

She shuddered at the thought of war, and wished that there was something, anything that she could do to help. The trouble was, she didn't know how. Would it help the King of Grønnedal to send soldiers, or would he only reject help from an outsider? The cold object in her hand brought her to attention. She had frozen her quill while lost in thought.

Elsa dropped the quill in shock, and brought her hand in closer to herself. "No. . ." As she struggled to gain control, she stood up and reached for the doorknob. As soon as she touched it, it froze over, the ice spreading along the length of the door.

Elsa backed away from the door, eyes wide with terror, still clutching her hand to her chest.

At that moment, Kristoff's heavy steps were heard approaching the door. "Elsa?" The doorknob started to turn.

"No, don't come in!" Elsa hastily cried out.

The doorknob immediately ceased to turn. Elsa imagined Kristoff's shocked expression on the other side of the door and bit her lip in guilt and terror.

"What happened? Is everything all right? Should I bring someone over here?" Kristoff worriedly asked.

"No, don't call anyone. The door. . . I froze most of it. Please go, you're not safe here," Elsa desperately pleaded.

After a second of silence, Kristoff spoke up. "Elsa, everything's fine. Don't be afraid of yourself. If you're going to let people in, you can't hide behind closed doors anymore. I'm going to come in, okay?"

With a small whimper, Elsa gave a small nod, despite the fact that Kristoff couldn't see it.

With a grunt, Kristoff shoved the door open. He entered the room slowly and saw Elsa backed up against the wall. She stood there, half hidden in the drapes, hyperventilating and clasping her hands together tightly, as if the ice would explode from her of she didn't restrain herself.

Kristoff slowly walked forward. "Elsa, see? I'm fine, you're fine. The door still works, everything is okay." He stopped in front of her, and took hold of her petite hands.

Elsa closed her eyes and took in slow, deep breaths. After a few minutes had passed, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Kristoff patiently waiting. The tender warmness of his eyes seemed to melt the fear that encased her heart.

"I-I'm sorry," Elsa stammered.

"For what? You didn't do anything."

"I yelled at you, and tried to shut you out instead of letting you in like-"

"Elsa. I honestly don't think that qualified as yelling. I've been yelled at before; that was nothing compared to past yellings," Kristoff lightly teased.

"But I-"

"No. You don't need to apologize." Kristoff softly kissed Elsa's hands. He then brought one of his hands up to her face, the other now cradling both of her hands, and sweeped her bangs back. Elsa's lips shaped themselves into a tranquil smile. Kristoff brought his hand to the side of her face, gently cradling it, while Elsa leaned her head comfortably into it, as if that was where it belonged.

"I'm surprised that you haven't given up on me yet. I tire myself out sometimes," Elsa lightly joked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kristoff murmured.

Elsa gazed lovingly at him for a moment, then tentatively stood up on her toes and softly kissed him. When she pulled away, she bashfully grinned up at him.

Kristoff laughed, and lowered his hands, only to place them on her waist and then to spin her around.

"Kristoff!" Elsa breathlessly laughed. When he placed her back down, she laid her hands on both sides of his face. "What was it that you came to see me about?"

"Oh! Yes, ummm. . . would you like to join me for a picnic up on the cliff?"

"Isn't it a bit too late?" Elsa worriedly furrowed her eyebrows together.

"I've already gone to Kai. I think he'll be expecting our absence at dinner," Kristoff lightly replied.

Elsa's face relaxed into an eager smile. She brought her hands down from his face, only to hold onto one of his hands. "Then let's go."

Kristoff beamed in return, and led her out of the room.

"Will we be walking there?" Elsa asked once they were in the hallway.

"No, Sven will take us."

"As in, we'll be riding on Sven?"

"Yepp."

"Have you done this before?"

"No, but there's always tome for firsts," Kristoff replied with a grin.

* * *

**Storbakke= stor + bakke= Norwegian and Danish for "large hill".**

**Solfylt Dalen= Norwegian for "sunny valley".**

**Hederlig= Norwegian for "honorable".**

**Klok Elv= Norwegian for "wise river".**

**Fredeligdal= Fredelig + Dal= Norwegian and Danish for "preaceful valley".**

**Velstående= Norwegian and Danish for "prosperous/wealthy". **

That's all for today! Until Friday, hopefully!


	21. Chapter 20

**Long time no see! :D **

**Prettyprincess45: Thank you so much for understanding! :,) Good luck with your schoolwork. :D Thank you so much, you're too kind. :D Right?! Disney should make a ride where you get to ride on Sven through Arendelle or something, that would be amazing.**

**Skipper: Thank you! :D**

* * *

"Come on Sven, faster!"

With a snort, Sven started to run even faster, causing Elsa to give a small yelp in surprise. She clung tighter to Kristoff's waist, shutting her eyes tightly against the wind.

"Are you okay?" Kristoff asked.

"I-I'm fine," Elsa stammered. "Are we almost there?"

"Nearly, hold on, okay?"

With a slight nod, Elsa pressed the side of her face against Kristoff's shoulder.

Sven ran through the forest, easily stepping over roots and rocks. When they neared the cliff, he slowed down, stopping only when they emerged from the trees.

"Elsa? We're here."

Elsa tentatively opened her eyes, her breathing deep and irregular.

"Elsa? Are you okay?" Kristoff worried asked.

"Yes, I-I'm fine."

"Maybe next time we should walk." Kristoff chuckled softly to himself. "Do you. . . need help?"

"No, I'm alright. Really." Elsa slowly released her hold on Kristoff's waist and cautiously slid off Sven's back onto the ground.

Kristoff jumped off and turned to face her, a grin spreading over his face. "See, it wasn't that bad."

Elsa could only give a shaky nod.

"Come on, did you even notice the food?" Kristoff lightly teased.

Elsa blinked at the word 'food', and looked towards the cliff's edge where food lay spread out on top of a blanket.

"Kristoff, you didn't have to-"

"Nope. No arguing." Kristoff offered her his arm, and the two walked over to the food.

When they settled themselves down onto the blanket, Sven lying down a few feet away, Elsa paused to look over the food.

"Chocolate krumkake and fyrstkake? How did you know?" she asked incredulously.

"Well. . . I sort of asked Kai," Kristoff sheepishly replied.

Elsa gave a small laugh and reached for Kristoff's hand, clasping it tightly. "Thank you Kristoff, this is wonderful."

"Well then, let's eat!"

The two dug into the food, the sweet flavors enticing them to eat more.

After a few moments of eating in comfortable silence, Elsa spoke up. "I haven't had a picnic in so long."

"I've never had one," Kristoff replied as he wiped crumbs off of his face.

Elsa sat there, ruminating over this newfound fact.

"Kristoff. . . do you have any family?" she quietly asked.

Kristoff sat there quietly, staring off into the night, throwing Elsa into a panic.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to pry, I-"

"No, you don't have to apologize. It's fine." With a sigh, Kristoff turned to look at her, an intense look of sadness appearing in his eyes despite the small smile on his face.

"I'm an orphan. I never knew my parents. I was raised in an orphanage in a town called Blå Sjøen until about three years ago, when I turned eighteen."

_"He's the same age as I am."_ Elsa stored this fact away in the back of her mind. How could she have spent so much time with him and never asked him how old he was?

"They had all of the orphans study a different trade in order for us to make a living once we left the orphanage. I chose the amazing art of ice cutting; don't ask why, I'm not really sure myself." Kristoff gave a soft laugh.

"Harvesting ice for the town was tedious, but it made me feel less alone. There were about twenty other men there, all of us singing to keep warm and to pass the time. One day though, I got tired of the same routine, day after day. I didn't know it then, but I wanted an adventure. So I left. And well. . . here I am."

Kristoff cringed internally. His story had been true, until the end. He hated the fact that he had agreed to carry out such a heinous crime; it had been a low point in his life that he did not want to revisit. Also, even if he had told Elsa, she would have lost all trust in him, leaving him as empty as he was before. _"I should tell her, but what if she hates me? I can't lose her, but I can't lie to her. . . I'll tell her. Someday."_

Elsa moved over to where Kristoff sat and held his face carefully in her hands. "Thank you, for sharing this with me. I shouldn't have forced it out of you," she whispered.

Kristoff placed a hand over one of hers and gave her a soft smile. "It's fine. You told me about your past, it's only fair that I tell you mine."

Elsa leaned forward, her nose barely touching Kristoff's.

"I love you," she whispered.

Kristoff felt a pang of guilt. _"How can she love me? I shouldn't be here; how can I keep lying to her when she opens up more and more everyday?"_ he worriedly thought.

He started to pull away, causing Elsa to hold on more tightly. "Kristoff? What is it? I'm sorry, did I. . ." she trailed off. Her eyes widened in worry, frantically searching his for an answer.

"No, it wasn't you," Kristoff hurriedly replied. _"Great, now now I'm not only lying to_ _her but hurting_ _her too."_

"Elsa, how can you love me? I'm just a lost guy with a sketchy past; you're the epitome of everything that's good and beautiful. How?" Kristoff quietly asked.

"Kristoff, you're not evil. You're not a criminal, or a murderer." Kristoff gave a small flinch at this. "You're more than you think you are. You're selfless, kind and always sure of things around you. Why can't you truly see yourself?"

Kristoff slowly relaxed, and gently leaned his forehead against Elsa's. "I. . . I'll try."

"Good." With an easy smile, Elsa added, "Oh, 'epitome of everything good and beautiful'? I think that's a bit of an overstatement."

Kristoff lightly chuckled and countered, "How about 'kind and selfless'? I think we're pretty much even."

Elsa grinned, eliciting a gentle one from Kristoff. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know. I love you too," Elsa quietly replied.

Kristoff softly kissed her on her forehead and then stood up, gently pulling her up with him. "Come on, we should go back."

"Can we walk this time?" Elsa asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

With a laugh, Kristoff complied. "Okay."

* * *

**Blå Sjøen: Norwegian for blue lake/sea.**

**That's all for today! Next update will be on Sunday/Monday. :)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Helloooo there! **

**Prettyprincess45 and Guest: Thank you! :D**

**This chapter's a bit of a filler, before stuff goes down at the coronation ball. ;)**

* * *

The invitation lay on Hans' desk, the contents strewn all over the table.

Hans leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. He hadn't realized that Elsa's coronation was only a few days away.

_"I have to act quickly, before she agrees to marry someone else," _he pensively thought to himself.

A coronation ball. . . the perfect time to get acquainted with the Princess. After getting on her good side, Hans would propose. He was absolutely confident that she would accept. "Why wouldn't she? This feeble young girl will probably throw herself at me out of desperation."

Hans smiled slyly to himself, then froze, a thought creeping into his mind. "But that prisoner, Kristian? Kristoffer? What if he told her? That two-faced. . ."

Suddenly, Hans noticed the invitation out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, but she wouldn't send an invitation if she knew, would she?"

He picked it up, slowly twirling it around in his hands.

He would simply have to stay out of that "Kristoffer's" way until he was sure that he had won the Princess over. Then he would tell her that "Kristoffer" was an escaped assassin whose last goal had been to kill her. That would sever whatever alliance they had for good. Hell, the Princess might even get him killed.

Hans picked up the bell that sat on the corner of his desk and rang it three times.

A servant opened the door and walked into the room, bowing in front of Hans.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Tell the servants to pack my finest clothes and to prepare a ship for Arendelle. I will be leaving in two days time."

* * *

_Two days later. . ._

"Place those flowers over there!"

Kai directed a servant towards the dining room while shouting orders at others in the hallway.

Over the past few days, the castle had been full of people bustling about with preparations for the ball. Kai didn't mind though. It was like returning to previous times. A few times, he could have sworn that he heard Princess Anna apologize profusely after hearing a clanging noise resonate in the halls.

_"Her presence will never truly be gone from_ _these_ _halls,"_ he contentedly thought to himself.

Elsa stood near a window, arranging some flowers in vases that stood nearby. After pleading with Kai to let her help with the preparations, he had complied and gave her a simple task.

Kristoff stood next to her to help, a basket of flowers in his hands. As the two talked and laughed, Kai felt at ease.

He liked this Kristoff. He approved of his kind, shy ways and his ability to easily bring a smile to the Princess' face. He was grateful to him for making her feel less lonely. However. . .

Kai felt a hint of suspicion and confusion towards him. Where had he come from? What was his history? After years of caring for the young princess, Kai felt protective of her, like a mother hen and its chicks. Or in this case, a lone chick.

When he had asked Elsa about Kristoff's past a day ago, she had described him as a puzzle. "Although he told me about his childhood, I still feel that there is something that he is keeping from me. Something that he's ashamed of. I won't push him, he'll tell me when it's time. I'll be fine, Kai. Don't worry, Kristoff would never hurt me."

Kai had no choice but to trust her. "It is my duty to trust the Princess and her decisions," he worriedly thought.

A maid passed by with an armful of drapes, waking Kai from his reverie.

He looked again at Elsa as Kristoff picked a flower and place it behind her ear. The flower fell forward, causing Elsa to laugh and to place it more securely.

Kai smiled softly to himself and walled off after the maid, offering his assistance.

* * *

**Short chapter, I know, I'm sorry. ;_;**

**Recently, I've been listening to Frozen songs in different languages. I dunno why, but I'm really liking the Latvian versions. :o Have you guys listened to Frozen songs in other languages? :)**

**Next chapter will be up on Thursday or Friday! :D**


	23. Chapter 22

**Hey there friends! **

**Prettyprincess45: Why thank you! :D After I saw your comment, I looked up the Spanish soundtrack. It was AMAZING. :D Haha, I feel the same about it; I love it, but I don't understand anything, maybe 5 words maximum. :p**

**Kairi-Elsa: Hey! Haven't heard from you in a while, how's it going? :) Let it Go in Japanese is AMAZING. Heck, the whole soundtrack in Japanese is amazing. :,D Thank you for enjoying the story and for being so understanding, love! :D**

* * *

_Thirteen years ago. . ._

"Dum dum dum dah! Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" A five-year old Anna placed a crown of flowers on Elsa's head. The two were playing in the grove of trees they claimed as their own.

Elsa giggled and placed the crown more securely on her head.

"Any words on your conoration, Your Majesty?" Anna dramatically inquired.

"You mean coronation," Elsa corrected.

"Yeah, that. Speech! Give us a speech!"

Anna clapped her hands excitedly and sat down on the grass among their dolls and stuffed animals.

Elsa stood up and self-consciously crossed her hands behind her back. "Ummm. . . thank you. I hope that I'll be a good ruler like Papa, and-"

"Yay, Elsa! Papa! Woohoo! Now do the magic!" Anna chirpily interrupted.

Elsa grinned, relieved to have her speech cut short, and stomped her tiny foot onto the ground. The grass and ground surrounding the two was soon covered with a thin layer of ice.

"Yay! All Hail Queen Elsa!" Anna jumped up and started to skip around Elsa.

Elsa giggled joyfully and grabbed hold of Anna's hands. "Princess Anna of Arendelle!" she proclaimed with pride.

Anna giggled and started to run around, dragging Elsa along with her.

"Anna, where are we going?!"

"Where Queens and Princesses belong!" Anna squealed with a cheery laugh.

The two ran back inside the castle the Great Hall.

"Sit down, sit down, sit down!" Anna exclaimed.

Elsa jumped onto one of the thrones, while Anna took the one beside her.

"We need to make laws," Elsa thoughtfully spoke aloud.

"Hmm. . . from now on, July will be Chocolate Month!"

"July? Why July?"

"It's your birthday month! The Queen should get chocolate every day in her birthday month!"

Elsa turned to Anna and gave her a wide grin. "March will be known as Snowman Month!"

"Flower Month!"

"Krumkake Month!"

"Princess Anna Month!"

The two erupted into peals of laughter, the sounds echoing around the room.

The doors suddenly opened, revealing the King and the Queen standing in the doorway.

"Mama! Papa!" the girls screamed.

"What are you doing in my chair?" the King jokingly asked as he ran after them.

Elsa and Anna giggled and started to run away from their father.

The Queen stayed near the door, one hand pressed over her mouth as she laughed at the sight of her family running around the Great Hall.

"Elsa! Elsa, help!" Anna was trapped in a corner as the King came closer. She tried to run under his legs, but was soon easily caught.

"I've gotten one of them!" the King proudly announced as he toted a laughing Anna on his shoulder towards his wife.

A snowball suddenly hit him on the shoulder. The King swiftly turned around to see Elsa giggling behind her hand.

The King placed Anna next to her mother, then walked towards Elsa.

"Ah, so it was you?"

"Stay away, Papa!" Anna excitedly yelled.

The King reached out to grab Elsa's hand when she froze the floor around his feet, causing him to slip on the ice.

The King slipped, giving out a grunt before he fell onto the floor, face-down.

"Papa!" Elsa yelled.

She ran forward and sat down next to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Papa!" Elsa's voice now held a hint of panic.

The Queen ran over, carrying Anna in her arms. "Agdar!"

The King's eyes flashed open, and he trapped Elsa in his arms.

"I've got her!" he triumphantly announced.

"Papa, stop!" Elsa breathlessly giggled. "That's not fair!"

The King released her and stood up, gently pulling her up with him.

"I'm not as sprightly as I used to be." He laughed as he said this, a wide smile spreading over his face.

The Queen shook her head, and reached for Elsa's hand while still carrying Anna in one arm. "Come along, it's suppertime."

Elsa eagerly grabbed hold of her mother's hand and with her other one, reached for her father's.

"Are you ready to take your place as Queen at such a young age?" the King lightly joked.

"No. . . I don't think I ever will be. . ." Elsa worriedly whispered.

The King and the Queen exchanged a glance.

"Anna, let's go get you cleaned up for supper," said the Queen. With a loving smile and a squeeze of Elsa's hand, the Queen walked out of the room, Anna looking over her shoulder with wide eyes at Elsa the whole time.

"Elsa, you'll be fine," the King gently reassured her.

Elsa nervously looked down and whispered, "I won't be as good as you."

The King crouched down until he was eye-level with Elsa. "Elsa, look at me."

Elsa warily looked into her father's soft, green eyes. Eyes that never seemed to match his light spirit, one so much like Anna's. However, it was at times like these, when he spoke gently to her like she was the only one in the world that his eyes seemed at place.

The King held Elsa's hands securely in his own. "I don't want you to think that you have to be me. The people will love you for who you are. I just want you to be yourself. Don't underestimate yourself. Remember that."

Elsa gave a small nod, and hugged her father tightly.

With a grunt, the King picked her up and carried her out of the room.

"You're getting too old for this, but there's always room for exceptions."

Elsa smiled and leaned her head comfortably against her father's shoulder.

"You'll be fine, Elsa."

* * *

**I love writing about Elsa and Anna as children. :D My favorite part was developing the King's character in this chapter. I tried to make connections between him and Anna because I just feel like they would have been very similar, but his "Kingly duties" kept him from being all carefree and energetic in public, so the only time that he would be able to show that would be with his family. :) I really wish we had been able to see more of the King and Queen in the movie. D:**

**I made Elsa's birthday in July because in the movie her coronation takes place in the summer. I made Anna's birthday in March because to me, she just seems like she was born in the spring. :D**

**This chapter is supposed to show when Elsa's anxieties about becoming Queen and filling in her father's shoes originated. :)**

**That's all for today! Until Saturday** **or Sunday! :D**


	24. Chapter 23

**Long time no see! This upcoming week is my last week of school, so the updates should be back to a more regular schedule soon! :D**

* * *

Elsa woke up with tears in her eyes. She had almost forgotten that carefree event with her family so many years ago.

She got up and dressed herself in a dark, purple dress. Her coronation dress would be worn later on that night.

Elsa stood in front of the mirror and examined the girl that she saw staring back at her. It took her a minute, but she was still able to find her eight-year old self hiding behind her eyes.

"It's the coronation ball today," she whispered to herself. She gave herself a tiny half-smile, remembering Anna's slip-up in vocabulary.

She methodically did her hair in a simple bun and fastened the brooch made especially for this day onto her dress.

With a nervous nod of reassurance to her other self in the mirror, Elsa headed out, ready to face the day.

* * *

"Do I have to wear this?"

Kristoff frowned at the clothes laid out for him on the bed.

"Yes." Elsa gave him a self-satisfied smile.

"Why can't I just wear what I'm wearing now?"

"You've been wearing that ever since I first met you. It's time for a change of clothes." Taking his hands in hers, she reasoned, "It's only for today."

Kristoff sighed, and repeated the phrase to himself. "It's only for today. . .okay, fine."

"Thank you." Elsa grinned and let go of his hands in order to pick up the jacket meant for him, holding it up to his chest.

"You knew I would agree if you became irresistibly adorable, you cheater."

"It's called using what I have," Elsa playfully countered.

"I'm going to look like a fool."

"You're going to look handsome. You'll be fine, Kristoff."

Kristoff looked down at Elsa, noticing the vacancy in her eyes. "Are you okay? You're here but you're not really. . . .here. What are you worried about?"

Elsa lowered the jacket and looked at him, embarrassment apparent on her face. "I-I'm fine, really."

"Elsa."

Elsa glanced away and then looked back up at him. "It's just. . . what if they don't trust me? It'll be much harder to gain a roomful of royal officials' trust than how I gained the townspeople's. My powers might lose Arendelle some allies."

"Don't worry. You'll win them over."

Elsa turned rose-red, and shyly looked down at the tips of her shoes poking out from the hem of her dress.

Kristoff softly chuckled at her embarrassment. "Will you tell them tonight?" he gently asked.

"I don't know. Maybe tomorrow. Although, the closest kingdoms probably know already."

"Well. . .no one's declined, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then don't worry. These people want to know about you. Who wouldn't be amazed by a princess who can control snow and ice?"

Elsa laughed and placed Kristoff's jacket down on the bed. "Thank you, Kristoff. You're always there to calm me down. I wish I could do something for you to show you how much you mean to me, but-"

"You don't need to show me anything. I don't need anything else, as long as I have you."

Elsa came closer to Kristoff until she was only a few inches away. "That's very sweet of you. I didn't know you had such a sensitive side," she lightly teased.

Kristoff blushed bright red, and mumbled out, "Well, I-I umm. . ." before Elsa interrupted him with a peck on the cheek.

He blinked and turned to see Elsa shyly smiling up at him. With a smile, he gave her a gentle kiss.

Elsa pulled away after a moment and gave him an apologetic smile. "I have to go. I'm sorry if I'm not able to see you until later on tonight. I need to help with preparations and receiving early guests and all. . ."

"It's fine. Go run the kingdom." Kristoff beamed, fully confident in her ability to make things run smoothly.

"Okay then, until tonight." Elsa gave him a small wave and walked out the door, the door closing noiselessly behind her.

Kristoff turned back to look at the ensemble spread out on the bed.

He sighed, and glanced out the window. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

"I still have a couple of hours before I have to put this on. I'll go walk around with Sven."

Kristoff rushed out of the room, eager to get as far away as possible from the suit.

* * *

"Your Majesty! We will be arriving in Arendelle in a couple of hours!"

"Good." Hans walked towards the bow of the boat, the sea breeze ruffling his hair as he strolled along the length of the ship.

_"I'm almost there," _he smugly thought to himself.

His mind wandered back to his last visit to the dungeons.

"I'll be leaving for Arendelle in a few hours for your sister's coronation," he had announced.

"I thought you had said that the next time we saw you, you would be King of Arendelle," Anna coldly pronounced.

"Plans change."

Anna stood up and walked over to Hans, despite her father's attempt to grab her hand in order to hold her back.

"Elsa's much smarter than you ever will be. She won't be tricked into doing anything for you."

"Really? We'll see."

"You won't win."

"Oh, you don't know yet. For all we know, I might not only be the King of Arendelle but other numerous kingdoms."

"What do you mean?" Anna demanded, panic apparent in her voice.

"Once I have control of Arendelle, I will plunge it into war with Grønnedal, thus taking the throne from that fool of a king. And once I've done that, what's stopping me from acquiring others with a little brute force? And, I will achieve all of this with your perfect sister at my side."

"Elsa? Elsa would never help a monster like you!" Anna defiantly yelled.

"She might, if she knew that the lives of her family were on the line." Hans smiled maliciously.

"No!" Anna backed up in shock. "She can't do that for us. . ."

Hans walked forward and grabbed Anna by the chin. "Oh my poor, dear Anna. . ."

"I'm not your dear anything!" Anna yelled as she struggled to get away.

The King swiftly stood up with a newfound strength and forcibly removed Hans' hand. "Stay away from my daughters," he coldly spoke.

Hans' eyes glinted with anger. "I would watch my tongue if I were you, old man." He raised his hand to strike the King.

"No! It wasn't his fault!" Anna cried out. The Queen quickly took her in her arms, gently restraining her.

"Anna, hush," the King solemnly spoke.

Tears ran down Anna's face as she clutched to her mother.

"I know. But if we do something, he'll hurt Elsa. We have to be strong for her," the Queen whispered to Anna, tears falling from her eyes as she silently cried.

Hans brought his arm back, while the King closed his eyes, awaiting his punishment.

Hans's arm started to come down, then dropped to his side. "That's your only warning. Watch out next time, old man." With a wicked laugh, he turned and left.

* * *

**-dun dun dun!- **

**That's all for today! Next update will be on Tuesday or Wednesday! :)**


	25. Chapter 24

**Hello again! :)**

**Prettyprincess45: And more you shall have! :D**

**Belmont9: Thank you so much, you're such a sweetie. :,D**

**Keep Calm And Freeze On: Oh my goodness, thank you! :D I will keep that request in mind; there will definitely be more Anna in later chapters. :D**

**This is the part of the story where tensions start to increase, and intense stuff starts to go down. Hope you enjoy it! :D**

* * *

Elsa stood in the main hallway, perfectly poised and ready to receive the guests. The townspeople had already started to congregate in the castle square, slowly entering the castle itself.

Kristoff walked in behind a group of people, trying to avoid Elsa's quick eye. He had come back from wandering around with Sven and had nearly forgotten about the ball.

As he tried to walk quickly past her while hiding behind a man taller than him, he heard someone clear their throat.

He slowly turned to see Elsa staring at him, one eyebrow raised, her lips turned upward in a mirthful grin.

Kristoff defeatedly walked over to her. "I know. I'll go get dressed right now."

Elsa laughed as she picked a piece of straw out of his blond hair. "Were you in the barn with Sven?" she humorously asked.

"Only for a little. We walked around in the forest to get some fresh air." Kristoff paused, just now realizing what Elsa was wearing.

Elsa's dress was of a deep teal color, with intricate rosemaling on the bodice, collar and hem. A long, purple cape trailed gracefully behind her, and her hair was put up in an intricate bun._ "I saw another woman with the_ _same hairstyle in a portrait here. Maybe it's the hairstyle of_ _the_ _Queen?"_ Kristoff thought.

"You look. . . amazing," he spoke breathlessly.

With a half-smile, Elsa replied, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"It was worth a try."

The two suddenly heard whispers a few feet away and turned to see two young ladies looking in their direction.

Elsa quickly looked down and started to wring her hands.

Kristoff's face grew hot, and he turned back to face Elsa.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching for her hands.

As soon as his fingers touched hers, Elsa quickly drew them away.

"Elsa?"

Elsa looked up to see hurt and confusion in Kristoff's eyes, causing her stomach to tighten.

"Kristoff, I. . . maybe we shouldn't be so public."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't think that I should tell everybody about us. Tonight. I just. . . don't want people to gossip about this tonight."

"Why does it matter what they think? Elsa, we love each other-"

"Kristoff," Elsa coldly cut him off. She bit her lip as she took in his wounded expression. "Please understand, I'm not trying to hurt you, I just. . . need to make a good impression on everyone. If people start gossiping about the princess and her 'romantic entanglements', how will the other kingdoms take me seriously?"

Kristoff stared at her as if he didn't recognize her. "So I'm just a romantic entanglement?" he coldly pronounced.

"No Kristoff, that's not what I meant, I just need-"

"To shut me out. Again."

Elsa gulped and started to play with the hem of her sleeve. "Kristoff, I-"

"No. I understand. I'll keep my distance. Your Highness." With that, Kristoff gave her a stiff bow and stoically walked away.

Elsa looked wistfully after him. She was brought back to attention when she realized that she had loosened a seam while absentmindedly playing with her sleeve.

She immediately dropped her hands, and pressed them together in front of her. She noticed a few snowflakes start to fall from the ceiling and shut her eyes tightly, in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Control yourself. Conceal it, don't feel it."

She tried to think of something, anything to distract her. She remembered the loose seam at the edge of her sleeve and thought of Anna.

She and Anna both shared the nervous habits of biting their lips and playing with their dresses when worried. Anna's dress had once gotten a completely frayed sleeve after they ate all of the chocolate in the castle while their parents were away.

Elsa smiled to herself and opened her eyes.

"Anna. . . it looks like I'm going to have to channel your energy and confidence if I'm going to make it through tonight," she whispered.

Elsa squared her shoulders, let out a sigh and walked forward to greet the nearest guests.

* * *

Hans walked through the crowd, taking in his surroundings.

"This place isn't half-bad."

When he neared the large double doors, he caught a glimpse of white. No, not white, light blonde?

As he got closer to the front of the receiving line, he was finally able to see Elsa. He blinked rapidly as if trying to determine whether the girl standing only a few feet away from him was real.

_"She really is the ice princess."_

Elsa's pale skin and white-blonde hair contrasted strongly with her striking blue eyes. She appeared to have been carefully crafted from the ice herself.

When he got to Elsa, he bowed deeply before her.

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, Your Majesty."

Elsa curtsied in return. "Welcome. I trust that all is fine with your father?"

Hans made his expression as sorrowful as he could. "Sadly, his condition has been getting worse."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I'm sorry to hear that, I hope that he'll be better soon." She gave him a polite smile.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Elsa blinked, surprised that someone had been able to see past her façade.

"I'm just tired, and worried, but I'll be fine. Please, enjoy yourself, don't worry about me."

Hans took her hand and placed a light kiss on top of it. When he looked back up at her, a pink flush had spread over her face.

"As you wish, my lady."

Hans walked away, fully confident that he had swept Elsa off of her feet.

_"I'm going to enjoy this night,"_ he smugly thought to himself.

* * *

Kristoff paced around Sven's stall, dressed in the suit that Elsa had made him wear.

"I shouldn't have been so cold and distant, I mean, I guess I can sort of understand what she meant. . ."

Sven looked up from where he lay on the floor of the stall, and gave him a disbelieving look.

"Okay, okay, so I probably don't." Kristoff sighed in frustration and kicked a small pile of hay near him.

"Ugh, but she can't keep closing herself off!"

He sat down next to Sven, absentmindedly twiddling thumbs.

_"But she's got a good reason. Just give her time to sort things out," _Kristoffspokefor Sven_._

Kristoff stared at the reindeer.

_"She cares about you, but she needs to put the needs of her kingdom before you. Before herself." _Kristoffcontinued on in Sven's voice.

Kristoff hung his head in his hands. "You're right, Sven. How could I be so stupid?!"

He stood up quickly, then tried to smooth his hair down while pushing the stall door open.

He looked back at Sven, who looked back up at him eagerly.

"Thanks buddy. I'm gonna go make this right."

_-snort-_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!"

* * *

**It pains me to have Elsa and Kristoff fighting, and to have Hans try to sweet-talk her. D:**

**So close to the end of the school year! -gives an Anna squeal- **

**On a random note, I've been seeing these things on Youtube where people share their favorite Elsa voices, and I thought "Hey, I wanna do this too." If I wasn't so bad at using technology, I would have made a video. Well, here we are! (Please keep in mind that this is my personal opinion; everyone is entitled to agree or disagree).**

*** Top 10 (More like Top 16) Favorite Elsa Voices Based off of "Let it Go"***

**1. Danish/Serbian/Greek (these sound absolutely amazing, especially in the last 50 seconds!)**

**2. Japanese (you can hear how happy she is. :D)**

**3. Taiwan Mandarin/ Icelandic (lacking some maturity, but I love them nevertheless. :D)**

**4. Norwegian/English **

**5. Estonian**

**6. Italian (AMAZING!)**

**7. Swedish**

**8. French**

**9. German/Dutch**

**10. Turkish/Korean**

**I know, I know. I put multiple versions for one spot, but I just can't pick one for each spot! D: **

**What are your guys' Top 10? :D**

**Next update will be on Thursday! **


	26. Chapter 25

**I'm finally free for the summer! :D**

**Prettyprincess45 and Belmont9: Thank you! :D**

**Asteroth1: Aw, thank you for those kind words. :,D Yeah, throughout this whole story I've been all "I can't make it all cavity-inducing sweet", haha. :p**

**The plot thickens. . . :D**

* * *

"Princess Elsa of Arendelle!"

Elsa walked into the Great Hall and stopped in front of the thrones, her long cape trailing behind her.

The crowd of people bowed and curtsied to her, then started to applaud.

Elsa smiled serenely at the people, her hands folded in front of her.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm honored to have all of you here to celebrate my coronation with me. Please, enjoy yourselves!"

Music started to play from a group of men in a corner of the room, drawing couples to the center of the floor for a dance.

People started to line up in front of Elsa to pay their respects.

After an hour had passed by, Kai walked over to Elsa until he was close to her, but still a respectable distance away. He cleared his throat loudly, bringing the music and dancers to a halt.

"It has just turned midnight. Princess Elsa is now twenty-one years of age!"

Everyone looked to Elsa and applauded, while Elsa shyly smiled back. After everyone returned to what they had been doing, Elsa scanned the room for one face in particular. When she couldn't spot Kristoff anywhere, her smile faltered, but only for a second.

"Conceal it, put on a show," she murmured to herself.

Suddenly, she saw a figure clad in white appear in her peripheral vision.

She turned to her right to see Hans there, hand politely outstretched. "May I have the honor of joining you in a dance, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, I rarely dance, and not very well. Thank you, but I can't," Elsa nervously replied.

"I don't believe that. A lady as beautiful as you must be an extraordinary dancer."

Elsa gave a light laugh, and placed her hand over his. "Fine, one dance."

The music changed to accompany a regal waltz as Elsa and Hans got into dance position. Hans gracefully led Elsa as they danced effortlessly along with the music.

"Congratulations on your twenty-first birthday, my lady."

"Thank you." Elsa sighed. "This is going to be an important year."

"Indeed."

"Prince Hans. . . is it a troubling task? Running the kingdom in your father's place?" Elsa asked in a whisper.

Hans blinked, taken aback by Elsa's question. "Well. . . yes. But one simply needs a strong authority and the faith of the people to rule with ease." Hans continued in his thoughts, _"Although who really needs the support of the people when you have limitless power?" _

Elsa gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean by 'strong authority'? As in. . . forcing your will upon others?"

"In a way, yes."

"I. . . I don't think I could ever do that. I want to be a caring and gentle ruler, one that my people don't have to fear."

Hans scoffed to himself. _"Such a naïve little girl," _he thought.

"Sometimes, we must do what is necessary to keep the peace, Princess."

Elsa bit her lip, caught between the advice of her father's and Hans'.

"Princess, if Arendelle is ever in any need of help, the Southern Isles is always obliged to assist you."

Elsa looked into Hans's eyes and saw only kindness and sympathy in those emerald-green pools.

"Thank you, Prince Hans. I appreciate your help." She gave him a grateful smile.

Hans could only stare at her radiant face before pulling himself together. "Oh. . . you're welcome, my lady." To himself, he thought,_ "Get it together! You're here for the throne, not to be tempted by such an innocent girl!" _

The music ended, signaling the end of the dance. Hans and Elsa parted, only to bow and curtsy to each other.

"You're a magnificent dancer. It was a pleasure, Your Majesty."

"The pleasure is mine, Prince Hans."

"May I hope to have another dance with you later on in the night?"

"I. . . I'll have to see."

"Very well." With a deep bow, Hans started to leave. He swiftly turned back around and gave Elsa a grin. "I hope your night goes well, Princess Elsa." He turned and walked over to a group of men at the other end of the room.

Elsa wasn't sure what to think of Hans. _"He's polite and confident, but. . . a bit arrogant at times. . ."_

She shook her head and started to walk back to the head of the room. "_I'm just being paranoid. I'm sure that he is a pleasant young man." _

At that moment, she saw Kristoff walk into the room, frantically looking around.

"Kristoff?"

Hans looked over to where Elsa stood, only to see Kristoff walk over to her.

_"That Kristoffer. . ." _He hastily excused himself to the people he was talking to and walked over to the farthest corner of the room, behind a pillar.

"Elsa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad and run off like that, I-"

"No, Kristoff. I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm sorry, my behavior was inexcusable. You were right, I pushed you away, again. I was under a lot of stress, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Can you forgive me?" Elsa pleadingly whispered.

"Elsa, there's nothing to forgive. Don't worry. We both said and did things we shouldn't have. Let's just let go of the pain of the past. We don't have to worry about it anymore."

Elsa let out a deep sigh and gave him a timid smile. "Okay."

Kristoff gave her a cheery half-grin, the smile that she loved best on him, and offered her his arm. "May I have a dance?"

Elsa took his arm with a dazzling smile. "For you, always."

The two walked to the center of the floor as a lively tune started up.

Kristoff struggled with not tripping over his feet while Elsa laughed and led him through the dance with ease.

Hans continued to watch them from behind the pillar, eyes narrowed as he watched the two laughing merrily while they danced.

_"Soon. Soon I will be the King of Arendelle. Will I be your favorite then, Father?" _

* * *

**Hans is one sneaky dude. **

**Things will finally start to heat up in the next chapter, the moment I've agonizingly been waiting for! **

**Next update will be on Sunday, I'm going to be a bit busy for the next couple of days. But after Sunday, we will be back on the "every other day" schedule! (I don't think that's the correct term, but whatever, haha.)**

**Until Sunday! :D**


	27. Chapter 26

**Helloooo there again! ^_^**

**Belmont9****: Thank you! It was definitely a struggle at first to not make her too sad or too giggly, but I've been trying to incorporate little things that she does in the movie. :) **

**Asteroth1****: There will be a lot more between them. :D She's a great dancer (probably included in the education of a princess, haha :p), and I think that she would have draped the end of her cape over her arm so as not to trip over it. :)**

**Prettyprincess45****: Yes he is! :D Aw, thank you! :)**

**Kairi-Elsa****: No problem! I hope everything goes well with whatever you have to do. :D **

**Ooh, interesting rankings. :D**

**Yay for discovered passwords! :D Haha, aw thanks sweetie! :)**

**Here's Chapter 26!**

* * *

"Tomorrow's your coronation day. Well, okay, technically today is. Are you ready?" Kristoff asked.

"I believe so. I'm ready to take my place as protector of Arendelle, as my father did before me," Elsa confidently replied.

"He would have been proud of you."

Elsa tried to speak, but couldn't form any words. She stopped in the middle of the dance; her eyes started to tear up.

"Shoot, I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm sorry, Elsa, I-I'll just. . . umm. . ." Kristoff hastily muttered.

Elsa gave a small shake of her head and moved her hand from where it had rested on Kristoff's shoulder to his arm. "Kristoff, that was the greatest compliment that I have ever received. That was always one of my wishes: to make my father proud of me."

"What are your other wishes?" Kristoff curiously asked.

"To fully understand and control this. . . power. To be able to care for all of Arendelle, and. . . to always keep a part of my family with me. Especially my sister."

Her sister. Kristoff's heartbeat started to quicken._ "I need to tell her. Come on, do it!" _he yelled to himself.

"Elsa, I need to-"

"Princess Elsa!"

Kristoff and Elsa separated themselves and turned towards the source of the voice. A short man with spectacles and a receding hairline was approaching them. When he reached them, he gave a low bow, revealing that his hair was in fact, a toupee.

Kristoff gave a small snort while Elsa quickly hid her smile with her hand and snuck a knowing glance at Kristoff.

"I am the Duke of Weselton. Congratulations on your twenty-first birthday."

"Thank you."

"I'd like to talk to you about affairs pertaining to trade between Arendelle and Weselton. Of course, you surely want to renew the agreement that your father didn't have, erm, a chance to renew?"

Elsa gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded along as he continued. Her father had been meaning to end the trade agreement with Weselton, but didn't have the chance to send his response before he had died. _"The_ _Duke of Weselton is a shrewd man, and will do anything to ensure hos own safety before that of the people. Be wary of him, Elsa,"_ he had told her.

Elsa faced Kristoff. "Excuse me, do you mind if I leave to discuss matters with the Duke?" she politely asked.

"Of course not, Princess." With a nod towards the Duke, Kristoff wandered over to a corner of the room.

"Princess Elsa, I believe that it would be best for both of us if we returned to the agreement set during your father's reign."

"I'm sorry. Arendelle has been trading with the Southern Isles for many years now, and has benefited largely from this exchange. I will not be returning to policies held before the gates were closed."

"Ah yes, the gates. Why did you close them?" The Duke came closer, one eyebrow raised.

"I. . . that is a topic that I would like to save for another time. Thank you for coming. I must attend to the other guests now." With a curt nod, Elsa walked away. The Duke stared suspiciously at her for a moment, then went to go join a group of men.

As Elsa walked through the crowd, she noticed that Kristoff stayed out of sight behind other people, eyes down, trying not to draw attention to himself.

"Prince Hans, are you enjoying your stay?" she asked as she came across him once again.

"Yes, Your Highness. Did you return for another dance?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"Of course." Elsa politely took his arm.

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the Duke."

"Oh yes, about trade."

"Yes. I'm honored that you have so much trust in the Southern Isles. Our kingdoms have become quite close over the years, haven't they?"

"Indeed." Elsa was getting tired of all this talk of trading, and fought back a yawn.

"Perhaps they may. . . become even closer?"

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Hans stopped dancing, bringing her abruptly to a halt.

"Princess Elsa, will you marry me?"

Elsa's eyes widened in shock and she quickly let go of him. "I-I'm so sorry, I. . . I must decline."

"But why? We're already two strong kingdoms bonded by business, why not also by marriage?"

"I'm sorry, Prince Hans, but I only met you today. Also, I've only recently started to get out of my mourning period. I don't think I could rush into a marriage at this moment, especially one not made for love."

"We could learn to love each other, eventually."

"I'm sorry, I. . . I can't."

Hans gave her a contemplative look. "You really did love your family, didn't you, Your Majesty?"

Elsa lowered her eyes. "More than anything else. . ." she whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Princess, there's been something that I've been meaning to tell you. About your family. . ."

Elsa's eyes flashed back up to meet his. "Yes?" she hopefully whispered.

"We had previously thought that your family had been lost at sea. However, a couple of months ago, we discovered that a man had murdered them."

Elsa took a shaky step backwards. "No, that. . . that can't be. . ."

"My men found them in an old house in the depth of the woods, and imprisoned the man. He seemed to have no real motive, except for an obsession with the monarchy. It seems that he was deranged, and was planning on becoming rich by blackmailing you."

Elsa could only stare unblinkingly at Hans.

Hans took in a deep breath. "He escaped, about a month ago. I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we haven't been able to find him." He reached for Elsa's hand in an attempt to comfort her, but she backed away, slowly shaking her head.

"Princess, I promise that I will do whatever I can to being this man to justice. I-" Hans paused. "That's. . . that's him." He pointed to someone behind Elsa.

Elsa slowly turned around, not sure of what she would do once she saw the face of the man who had killed her family.

When she saw who it was, she brought her hands to her chest as if to protect herself. "Kristoff. . ."

As if he could hear her, Kristoff looked up from where he had been staring at his shoes. He saw Elsa's frightened face staring at him from across the room, as if she didn't recognize him.

"Elsa? What-" Kristoff started to walk towards her when he noticed who stood behind her.

"No. . ."

* * *

**-cues intense dramatic music-**

**Well, hope you guys enjoyed this! :D**

**Next update will be on Tuesday or Wednesday. :)**


	28. Chapter 27

**Hello there my summer flowers! (Can you tell that I am just ecstatic about summer vacation? :p)**

**Asteroth1: Bwahahaha, good. . . haha, just kidding. :p**

**Belmont9: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you! :D**

**taylorjago: I thought I sort of made it clear in the early chapters, but still, thanks for the feedback! :D That twist killed me; I came up with multiple lies for Hans to tell Elsa until I got this one. Thank you. :D**

**Prettyprincess45: Indeed! :D And more you shall have! :D**

* * *

"Elsa, I can explain!"

"Explain? Kristoff you. . . killed my family?" Elsa whispered in horror.

"Wait, what?! No! I-I didn't! I was imprisoned by Prince Hans, who offered me my freedom if I. . . if I killed you."

Elsa flinched at this, while a hint of a smile could be seen tugging at the corners of Hans' lips.

"But you changed my mind, Elsa! Once I got to know you, I realized that I couldn't kill you. Please, believe me, I don't know what he told you." Here, Kristoff glared at Hans for a second before looking back at Elsa. "Please, you have to believe me."

"I. . . I don't know what to believe anymore," Elsa murmured.

"Please, Elsa. You know me, I-"

"No. I don't know you anymore."

Kristoff flinched at her words. "Elsa, I-"

"My former self would have believed you if you had told me this long ago. But now, I. . . you were so secretive, there was something that you weren't telling me. Was all of this a lie? Were you really coming here to kill me since you had already gotten my family?"

"No! Please, Elsa! He's setting me up!"

Elsa could only stare at him, fear widening her crystalline eyes.

Kristoff reached for her hand, but she pushed him away.

"No, I-I. . . you killed my family?!"

"No, I didn't!"

"I can't trust you anymore. . . what. . . why? And you just killed them? Then you came here, to collect your 'prize'? You couldn't even make up a decent story! Why would Prince Hans want to have me killed? Our kingdoms are flourishing because of their bond!"

By now, Elsa's voice had attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

"Elsa, you have to listen to me! He has your family locked up-"

Elsa gave a short, cold laugh, one that chilled Kristoff to the bone. "Kristoff, your story is getting more and more preposterous!"

"You have to believe me! I care about you!"

Elsa's hands dropped to her sides, clenched into fists. "What kind of a. . . a monster would be so manipulative?! You never cared for me, apparently you only cared for the riches of Arendelle! I trusted you! You killed my family, and then you got me to trust you! To care for you! What kind of a person does that?!"

"Elsa!" Kristoff once again tried to reach for Elsa's hand.

This time, she thrust it behind her in an attempt to keep it away from him. However, her emotions had gotten the best of her.

With her anger, her power had created spikes of ice behind her, causing people to jump back in surprise and fear.

As soon as Elsa saw the spikes, she gathered her hands back against herself, trying to keep the ice inside of her.

Hans stared at her, half-hidden behind the wall of ice. He was frozen in place in shock at witnessing the use of her powers.

"Sorceress! She's a monster!" the Duke of Weselton yelled.

"No! She's not!" Kristoff yelled. "Elsa, you can control this! Just-"

"No! Stay away from me!" Elsa yelled shakily. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she backed up, trying to reach the door.

"Your Majesty!" Kai rushed forward. "The boy is right, you can control it, just as your father believed! Think of your father's words."

Elsa's bottom lip trembled as she whispered, "I am. Always. I-I need to get away from here." She opened the door behind her and ran out into the courtyard.

The large group of people in the courtyard startled Elsa, bringing her to an abrupt halt. As soon as they saw her, they started to applaud. "The Princess!"

Elsa stood there in shock until she felt someone grab her hand. She quickly pulled back her hand and turned to see Kristoff there, hands raised to show her that he meant no harm.

"Please, leave me alone!" Elsa gathered her skirts in her hands, preparing to run when she noticed that her dress started to frost over where her hands were.

The people stared at her hands in shock.

Elsa raised her hands, trying to reassure them. "It's fine, I won't harm any of you-" At that moment, a burst of ice shot against Elsa's will, barely missing a few heads and hitting a pillar.

The Duke appeared behind Kristoff. "Get her! She's dangerous!"

The people were petrified. Many of them had been there when Elsa had revealed her powers to the kingdom. They were scared of this dangerous girl who had replaced the image of the peaceful snow princess in their minds.

The crowd started to slowly back away from Elsa. She stared back at them, eyes full of anguish. How could things have changed so quickly?

She heard Kristoff behind her yelling at the Duke, but her frantic mind couldn't make out any words.

Elsa looked back at Kristoff. She saw Prince Hans standing behind him and the Duke. The Prince must have been quietly watching everything.

"No, he's right. I'm a danger to Arendelle. I'm sorry." Elsa ran off towards the gates.

"No, Elsa!" Kristoff yelled.

The crowd gasped as they noticed the ground under Elsa's feet start to change. Wherever she stepped, she left behind a newly-frosted over patch of ground.

After Elsa crossed the bridge, she quickly stomped her foot down. The ground around her was soon covered with a thick layer of ice, and started to spread back towards the castle.

With one last glance at her home, she saw Kristoff stop at the gates as the ice reached him, causing him to slip and almost fall onto the floor.

Snowflakes had started to slowly fall as dark clouds appeared.

Tears fell from Elsa's eyes. With a shudder, she continued to run, this time towards the depths of the forest.

* * *

"It's snowing!"

"Snow in July?"

Kristoff stared after Elsa's retreating figure. "This is all my fault. I should have told her the truth before that snake fed her lies," he disgustedly thought to himself

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. "You're coming with me," Hans growled.

Kristoff struggled to break free, to no avail.

"Prince Hans!" Kai ran up to them. "Is he really the one responsible for the deaths of the royal family?" he implored.

"Are you questioning my judgement?"

"No sir. I've just gotten to know the boy over the past week and a half or so, and find it hard to believe that he could have done such a thing."

Hans narrowed his eyes. "Then he has fooled you too. I shall send him back to the Southern Isles. Unless you would like to question my judgement some more."

Kai stared stoically back at him. "No, sir," he coldly pronounced. As Hans led Kristoff to the docks, Kai stared uneasily after them.

A man from Hans' boat spotted them and met the halfway. "Your Majesty! What do you require?"

"Take him back to the dungeons. Quickly. Don't be afraid to rough him up a little." Hans shoved Kristoff to the man.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Kristoff glared at Hans. "Stay away from her."

Hans smirked. "What will you do? Come after me? Besides, she's already wandered unknowingly into my trap."

* * *

**I swear, I typed "Hand" instead of Hans like, 8 times. -_- I was looking back and going, "Who the hell is Prince Hand?" Yay for proofreading. :D (I actually hate proofreading. I dunno why, I guess I just can't stand looking over my stuff multiple times. Anyone else who's like that?)**

**Next update will be on Friday!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Helllloooooo again! **

**Asteroth1: Haha, thank you! :D Hans is definitely the most fun for me to write (although Anna and Elsa are my overall favorites). I'm always wanting to make him more evil, but not so evil that it's like "woah, even for him that's too far". If that makes any sense. :p**

**Prettyprincess45: Same here! I'm just like "this is good, I think. Just post it, hurry hurry hurry." :p Don't worry, Hans will be getting a butt-whooping from multiple people. :p Aww, thank you! :D I swear, you're going to kill me with kindness. *blushes***

**taylorjago: Haha, I loved this! :D I already had a few things brewing in my mind, but I'll take this into consideration. :)**

* * *

Elsa trudged through the soft snow as flurries of it flew past her, ruffling her hair and the edge of dress. She had ran through the forest, looking for a place that would both shelter and hide her. When she saw the tip of a mountain poking through the trees, she knew where to go.

The North Mountain was known for its steepness, therefore it was never visited by the townspeople.

A rock hidden in the snow caused Elsa to stumble and fall to her knees.

With a whimper. Elsa buried her head in her hands and began to cry.

After a few minutes of sobbing, Elsa looked up and clumsily wiped the tears from her eyes.

Her family. . . not taken by the cold, unforgiving sea, but by the hands of a lunatic.

"How could I have been so stupid?!" Elsa yelled.

She began to breathe in deep, shaking breaths.

"I wasn't strong. I let myself be blinded by what I thought was love. I was so desperate to be loved that I clung to him, recklessly! Even now, I still miss him, what should have been! I should have known! I should have known. . ."

Elsa's voice trailed off as her strength started to fade. The snow looked so soft and comforting. She wanted to sleep under a blanket of it forever. Away from the terrified eyes of the people she had tried to protect, from princes and dukes who pestered her about trade, from a kind, young man who had charmed his way to her side. A man that she still cared for, against the protests of her conscience.

With a shaky hand, she gathered a handful of the snowy powder, playing with it in her hand.

"Papa, I'm sorry. I couldn't control it. I'm sorry, I've disappointed you."

Elsa let out a ragged breath and looked up at the sky where a blizzard was beginning to form. When she had left Arendelle, there had only been a slight dusting of snowflakes on the ground. At least her people were safe.

She started to sing to herself, attempting to ease the pain.

_"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen._

_A kingdom of isolation, down there I would have been Queen._

_The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside._

_Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I've tried."_

Elsa slowly stood up, a new resolve forming in her. She would master her powers before ever returning to Arendelle, to keep the people safe from her. "Papa, I will be the girl that you were determined I would become."

_"Conceal, don't feel! Don't let them know. . . well now they know!" _With that, Elsa threw her hands up, resulting in a sudden sprinkling of snow.

_"Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!_

_Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door!_

_I don't care what they're going to say!" _

As Elsa sang, she created sudden bursts and flurries of snow with ease.

_"Let the storm rage on. . . the cold never bothered me anyway."_ Elsa suddenly undid the brooch that held the cape to her dress, smiling as she watched it fly away with the wind.

_"It's funny how some distance makes everything so small._

_And the fears that once controlled me, can't get to me at all!"_

Elsa started to run up the mountain.

_"It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through! Never knowing who I could be, I'm free!"_

Elsa thrust her arms put in front of her, creating a staircase made of snow, and turned it to solid ice with a single step.

She started to run gleefully up the stairs, arms stretched out as if to embrace the sky.

_"Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky!"_

At the top of the stairs, she looked around at the emptiness around her, a sudden fierceness appearing in her.

_"Let it go! Let it go! You'll never see me cry!"_

With a triumphant stomp, Elsa created a large snowflake pattern on the ground.

_"Here I stand! And here I'll stay! Let the storm rage on. . ."_

Biting her lip in concentration, Elsa slowly raised her hands, revealing the snowflake as a base for a building. As she rose higher and higher, Elsa made walls and designs with effortlessly graceful motions. She suddenly brought her arms down, completing the walls.

_"My power flurries through the air into the ground!" _

With a sweep of her arm, frost started to climb up the walls, forming an intricately detailed ceiling.

_"My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around! And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast!"_

A chandelier with a geometric design suddenly appeared from the center of the ceiling, slowly expanding to reveal its complexity.

Elsa looked out towards the balcony she had included in her ice castle, determination burning brightly in her eyes.

_"Now there's no turning back! The past is in the past!" s_he sang with unrestrained joy.

_"Let it go! Let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn!_

_Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone!"_

In a matter of seconds, Elsa had undone her bun, letting loose a more casual French braid. She had frozen over the bottom of her dress and let the frost encase all of it, leaving behind a light, ice-blue dress with an airy cape trailing behind her. Even her shoes had been affected, changing from black slippers to beautiful heels made of ice.

Elsa walked out onto the balcony, arms outstretched, singing happily into the cold air as the sun rose.

_"Here I stand, in the light of day! Let the storm rage on!"_

Elsa wouldn't let her former fears control her anymore. She would embrace herself, powers and all. She wouldn't let her judgement be clouded by a need to be loved anymore. _"I've got my family's love. That's all I need. With them, I'm never alone,"_ she thought to herself. With a smile, she quietly spoke, "The cold never bothered me anyway."

* * *

**Ta da! The Snow Queen has appeared! :D**

*** Quick Disclaimer! I don't own "Let it Go", all rights go to Disney. I merely made some changes to try to make it fit this story since this story is different from the movie. * **

**Elsa seems a bit like Anna here. After the loss of her family, she wanted to feel love again, just like how in the movie Anna lost her parents and Elsa shut her out, leading to her intense wanting to be loved again. **

**One reason why I love the Japanese version of "Let it Go" is the translation at "and I'll rise like the break of dawn." In the Japanese version, it's actually "I'm starting to like myself," which I think really resonates with the Elsa in this story. :)**

**I'm starting to get a bit of writer's block again, so updates might be a bit slow to come. D:**

**Next update will be on Sunday! **


	30. Chapter 29

**Hello there! We're almost in July! Summer is going by too quickly. D:**

**Asteroth1: At first, Elsa was just shocked to hear that her family had died at someone's hands instead of by nature. When Hans told her that it was Kristoff, she was still in shock but now in disbelief. The breaking point was when Kristoff said 'I can explain'; she got really mad at the fact that it seemed he could rationalize killing her family (even though we know he didn't). Her temper got out of control, like past the point of rational thinking. She was so mad that she couldn't even listen to him anymore, and saw him as the madman Hans had described, :( But don't worry, things will turn up for them. :D**

**Belmont9: Thank you lovely! :D**

**rspringb: Hey there! Thanks! :D**

* * *

All was quiet in the dungeons of the Southern Isles. The Queen stared at Anna, eyes full of concern, as she sat next to her snoring husband.

"Anna, is everything alright?"

Anna held a roll of crusty bread in her hand, staring at it intently. "If I try hard enough, I can pretend that this bread is chocolate."

The Queen gave her a tiny smile full of amusement and moved over to where she sat.

Anna continued to stare at the bread, then suddenly closed her eyes.

"Happy birthday, Elsa," she whispered, as if making a wish.

She took a bite out of the roll, then quick made a face and swallowed the food.

"Nope. No matter how hard I try, I can't make stale bread taste good."

"Would you like my apple?"

"No, Mama, I can't-"

"Please, Anna. Take it. You meed it more than I do. You're a growing young lady." The Queen took an apple out of her pocket and placed it firmly in Anna's hand.

Anna held it in her palm, hesitatingly observing it. She started to move it around between her hands.

"Do you think Hans will become King?" she asked in a tremulous voice.

The Queen gave a soft sigh. "I don't know. Elsa's strength will be tested. We can only hope that he won't threaten her with hurting us. Your sister has always been selfless, but that admirable trait may end up harming her in this case."

"Elsa was born to be Queen. I mean, I also mean literally, but I could always tell that she would be a great Queen, whether she got the throne or not."

After a moment of silence, Anna spoke up. "Mama, what'll happen when we get back?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who will be Queen? You or Elsa? Can there be two?" she curiously asked.

The Queen didn't respond.

"Mama? Are you okay?" Anna worriedly turned to face her mother.

"I'm fine. I just. . . don't think that I will return home," the Queen whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Wait, what? What do you mean?!" Anna sat up, eyes expanded in alarm.

"I've grown old and tired here. I'm not nearly as healthy as I used to be, and even then, my constitution has always been weak. Anna, you must promise me something."

Anna stared unblinkingly at her mother, hanging onto every word.

"Anna. My dear, sweet, fearless daughter. I know that you will make it out of here. Your fighting spirit will ensure your freedom. But I'm so tired, and so cold all of the time. Your father's health is also starting to fail. I don't want you two to waste away in here. Promise me, that if a chance ever appears, you will get yourself and your father safely home."

"Mama," Anna sobbed out.

"Promise me." Tears started to slowly stream down the Queen's face. She tried to put on a smile in an attempt to comfort her daughter, but t soon crumpled. She fought back a sob, but a small squeak escaped from her.

Anna dropped her apple and embraced her mother, holding onto her tightly while sobbing. The Queen quietly let go of the tears that she had kept inside for so long so as not to frighten her daughter. It was too late for that now.

Anna was suddenly aware of her mother's terrifying skinniness. She had always been slender, but it was almost as if Anna were hugging the air.

"Take care of your father. Tell Elsa that I love her, and that I am very proud of her. I'll always be proud of her. Of both of you."

The Queen pulled back and cradled Anna's face gently in her hands.

With heaving gasps, Anna stared back into her mother's gray-blue eyes. Eyes that had lost their glimmer a long time ago.

"No, I won't leave you here. We can all go back, together!" Anna breathlessly cried out.

"No, Anna. I'll only slow you both down. Your father will be of more use to Elsa and the kingdom than I."

"It's not about who's of more use, we're family! Elsa needs you! She needs all of us, together!"

"Anna."

The Queen waited until Anna's gasps started to quiet down.

"Sweetheart, my health is fading. You know this to be true, don't try to convince me otherwise. Make sure that you and your father make it to Arendelle safely. I'm relying on you, Anna. Please. Let me do this to save you, to save what's left of our family."

Anna bit her lip in frustration and closed her eyes. When she opened them, although they still shone with tears, they also shone with resolve. "Okay. I promise. But I'm not giving up on you."

Her mother gave her a sad smile, as if she had expected this response, and pulled her back into a hug.

As Anna clung to her mother, the Queen slowly stroked her daughter's hair, like she used to do when Anna was woken up by nightmares as a child.

"I love you, Anna. I always will."

* * *

**I loved writing this so much. :,) Sorry for the shorter chapter. D:**

**Okay, since I did a "Top Ten Voices" for Elsa, it seems only right that I also do one for Anna. :D**

**Top Fifteen (Because last time I did this sort of thing, I discovered that I cannot restrict myself to just ten) for Anna based off of "For the First Time in Forever"**

**1. Japanese (I always end up singing along to this version in my head. :D)**

**2. English (Kristen Bell! :D)**

**3. Hungarian**

**4. Flemish**

**5. Canadian French (love how it's titled "Le Renouveau", or "The Renewal".)**

**6. Norwegian**

**7. Icelandic (love the tomboyish Anna. :D)**

**8. Swedish (another tomboyish Anna. :D)**

**9. Catalan**

**10. Slovak (really love this one, no idea why.)**

**11. Malay**

**12. Serbian (ohmygod that ending note!)**

**13. Finnish**

**14. French**

**15. Latvian**

**What are your top Anna voices? :D**

**Next update will be on Tuesday or Wednesday!**


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